Virgil Van Dijk will be at Anfield to watch Liverpool play Leicester City on Saturday after agreeing a £75 million transfer to the Reds. It is a sensational signing for Jurgen Klopp as the Dutchman is exactly what Liverpool have long been crying out for.
Van Dijk is a commanding centre-back who should make the Reds tougher, harder to break down and far more solid at set pieces. Liverpool have been brilliant going forward this season but abysmal at the back, and that has seen them fall 20 points behind runaway league leaders Man City. But Van Dijk can transform the team and turn them into genuine challengers for silverware.
Fans may fear his arrival will herald the departure of Philippe Coutinho. Liverpool rejected a £119 million bid from Barcelona for the Brazilian in the summer, but the Catalan club are likely to come back in for him. They have plenty of money left over from the sale of Neymar and need to recruit star quality in a bid to keep pace with free-spending teams like PSG and Man City. Coutinho fits the bill as he has been utterly magnificent this season, emerging as arguably the best number 10 in the world, a real magician with the ball at his feet. But if Liverpool can keep hold of Coutinho they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Coutinho, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino form a magnificent attacking quartet that has been ripping teams apart all season. They beat Spartak Moscow 7-0 and Maribor 7-0 as they surged through to the last 16 of the Champions League, and they have regularly demolished domestic rivals. However, the defence often lets them down: they were 3-0 up away at Sevilla and crumbled in the second half, eventually drawing 3-3. Van Dijk can help them solve such problems.
His former manager at Southampton, Claude Puel, is now Leicester boss and will be grateful his team do not have to face Van Dijk at the weekend. The transfer will go through on January 1, so the Dutchman cannot make his debut until the following game, against Burnley. Puel has been raving about Van Dijk’s quality in the press this week, saying: “He is one of the best defenders in the world and he has all the qualities to become the best. It is fantastic for Liverpool.”
He is a great defender, and Leicester will fancy their chances of scoring against Liverpool without him. The Reds are heavy favourites and their marauding attack should make short work of the Foxes’ struggling backline, but Leicester could well score too. Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals looks a good bet in this game at BMR’s green-listed bookmakers.
Going forward, it is far too late for Liverpool to overhaul Man City and win the Premiership, but they should now stand a great chance of finishing in the top four. Tottenham and Arsenal provide strong opposition, but both are inconsistent and Liverpool can capitalise with Van Dijk at the back. They also look an interesting long shot for the Champions League at 16/1 with Bet Victor, Betfred, Bet Stars and Sky Bet. Van Dijk can slot straight into the Champions League team because he is not Cup tied and he gives them a far better chance of repelling Europe’s top strikers. At the other end of the pitch, Coutinho, Salah and Co. are a match for anyone, so they just need someone to keep things tight at the back.
Of course, signing one player cannot mend everything. Klopp still plays with a suspect zonal marking system that makes Liverpool weak at set pieces, while there are huge question marks over the goalkeeper and the full-backs. But it is a massive step in the right direction.
In the summer Naby Keita joins from RB Leipzig and he will improve their midfield no end. He looks a world-class player in the mold of N’Golo Kante, and Liverpool’s spine looks set to become a lot stronger. Liverpool could be a genuine challenger to Man City’s crown next season, but for now there should be some value in backing them to earn some strong results at home and abroad.
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