Liverpool don’t get much wrong in the transfer market. The Reds have been incredibly successful with their recruitment since Michael Edwards stepped into the sporting director role. One of our best signings was our most expensive. On this day in 2017 Liverpool agreed to sign Virgil van Dijk; Twitter thought he’d be a flop.
Liverpool sign Virgil van Dijk
On the 27th of December 2017 we saw the announcement of one of the Reds’ most crucial transfers in our modern history.
Liverpool agreed to sign Virgil van Dijk for £75m.
The record move was swiftly followed by the megabucks sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
Prior to his signing the Reds defence had been shaky to say the least, the decisive move was made in order to add some leadership and composure to a leaky back line.
Transformative buy
There can be no doubting the impact the signing of Virgil van Dijk had.
The Dutchman completely transformed the Reds.
He immediately plugged a leaky defence, though it wasn’t until the arrival of Alisson that the defensive overhaul was finally complete.
In his first few months in the Red shirt he dragged us to a Champions League final.
He would’ve been a European champion had it not been for the calamitous performance of Loris Karius.
Thankfully, he collected the crown a year later and came painfully close to lifting the Ballon d’Or.
Twitter on Van Dijk move
At the time, many fans believed that the Reds had overpaid for Virgil van Dijk.
The announcement was met with widespread derision.
Those fans were made to eat their words. One user referred to the move as ‘daylight robbery’.
Some found it hilarious.
Others thought Southampton had stitched us up.
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