‘We felt he owed us’ – Ex-Southampton CEO admits handling of Virgil van Dijk transfer was ’embarrassing’

Virgil van Dijk’s then-record-breaking switch to Liverpool in 2018 has turn out to be one of the crucial transformative in Premier League historical past.

Nevertheless, seven years on, an ex-Southampton government in command of the deal has admitted he’s embarrassed by the saga in hindsight.

Van Dijk accomplished a then-world document switch for a defender when he sealed a £75million transfer to Liverpool in January 2018.

He immediately endeared himself to the Kop by scoring an 84th-minute winner on his debut towards rivals Everton within the FA Cup.

The Dutchman has since turn out to be a Champions League winner and a two-time Premier League champion en path to changing into captain.

Van Dijk even gained UEFA Males’s Participant of the Yr in 2019 and completed simply seven factors behind Lionel Messi in that season’s Ballon d’Or.

As such, it was little shock that the Reds went to such lengths to signal him as their chief defensive goal in the summertime of 2017.

Van Dijk was needed by Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis however made it clear he needed to maneuver to Liverpool, who had reached the Champions League play-offs after a 12 months’s absence from European competitors.

The 34-year-old exchanged texts with Jurgen Klopp and even met him in Blackpool, which provoked a livid Southampton response.

The Saints complained to the Premier League of a clandestine strategy, main Liverpool to challenge a public apology.

In a press release, the Merseysiders declared they’d ‘ended any curiosity within the participant’ to forestall Southampton from submitting a report.

Van Dijk in the end spent a number of extra months on the south coast earlier than he was allowed to affix Liverpool within the following January.

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Southampton felt Van Dijk “owed us”

Former Southampton CEO Martin Semmens mirrored on the saga throughout an look stay on talkSPORT earlier this month.

The London Metropolis Lionesses government claimed Liverpool’s conduct had angered the Saints, however forcing Van Dijk to remain in the end backfired.

“Virgil van Dijk was an enormous one for us,” he recalled on talkSPORT. “We handled him otherwise and stated, ‘You possibly can’t go’. It didn’t work effectively for us.

“We didn’t [get him back on our side]. Virgil was unbelievable, for my part, he educated at 75 [per cent] and performed at 75 [per cent] and was nonetheless the perfect participant within the crew, if not the league.

“He didn’t trigger us any issues. He by no means stated a single unhealthy phrase to anybody, however he needed to go, and it wasn’t efficient for us to maintain the participant.

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“We saved him till January. It wasn’t good for the squad or the surroundings, however to be clear, Virgil by no means stated one destructive phrase to anyone.

“We felt, on the time, we might get extra if he stayed. He’d had a nasty harm, I feel he’d been out for six to 9 months, and we felt that he owed us, which is embarrassing now, I feel again to it.

“There was additionally some contact from Liverpool we didn’t love. At the moment, most likely a bit of extra for the morals, he had already met Klopp earlier than he instructed us.

“However in the long run, he did an excellent job for us, and we bought him for an excellent worth.”

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Giovanni Leoni ‘As Good As van Dijk’

Liverpool followers fittingly acquired their first take a look at Leoni throughout the membership’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Semmens’ previous membership, Southampton.

The Italian massively impressed on his first look since his £26m transfer from Parma earlier than he suffered an harm.

Liverpool will likely be determined for Leoni to have averted any main setback, having already began to ship on Semmens’ excessive reward.

Semmens helped convey the 18-year-old to Parma from Sampdoria final 12 months and revealed the centre-back is Van Dijk’s successor in ready.

“Yeah, completely for me [Leoni is the heir to the Van Dijk throne],” Semmens instructed Matterface, Criminal & Deeney on talkSPORT.

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“We signed him the second 12 months I used to be there in the summertime, and I’ve a deep love for the likes of [Newcastle defender] Tino Livramento [for Southampton] and signing these younger gamers. Romeo Lavia: This was the identical form of deal.

“I feel it was clearly the perfect younger centre again in Italy, if not Europe. And once more, we bought him the imaginative and prescient to return to our membership to play in Serie A.

“I feel it was 17 when he began enjoying, after which when the precise second comes, you’ll go.

“Our understanding was the identical with the keeper we purchased, [Zion] Suzuki the Japanese keeper. Man United tried to purchase him. That is a hearsay I can semi-confirm.

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“The view was that they’d most likely keep there longer than one 12 months, however Leoni was such a stage, and once more, I feel it highlights Liverpool’s potential that they noticed that.

“There have been different golf equipment within the Premier League that requested me about him – not as an Govt for Parma as a result of I might left by then, and I instructed them what I believed, they usually did not observe by way of on it. Liverpool by no means referred to as me.”

“5 – 6 Premier League groups requested me,” Semmens added. “I instructed them he is pretty much as good as Virgil.”

“Liverpool by no means referred to as me, by no means requested for a reference, as a result of they have such a capability to seek out these gamers. High participant!”