Virgil van Dijk denies claims of convincing Cody Gakpo to join Liverpool and asks fans to give the youngster time to establish himself
Virgil van Dijk has refuted suggestions that he persuaded Cody Gakpo to join Liverpool and urged fans to give the young player a chance to prove himself.
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Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gapko
Cody Gakpo, the 23-year-old who netted three goals at the FIFA World Cup 2022, is set to join Premier League club Liverpool when the transfer window opens on Sunday. Manchester United had been pursuing the player, but Liverpool has emerged victorious in the race to sign Gakpo. In a quick turn of events, Liverpool has secured a deal to bring the player to their team.
The cost of the Dutch international is believed to have a base price of £37 million, which could eventually increase to £44 million with additional benefits. Julian Ward, the sporting director, completed the contract on December 26th after discussing the terms with PSV’s director of football Marcel Brands. Cody Gakpo was then allowed to fly to England to go through the medical examination.
In a recent interview, when reporters asked Virgil Van Dijk what his contribution was behind this transfer, he said, “I did not need to convince Cody Gakpo. He’s good player, a good boy, we have to give him time. I am very sure the Liverpool fans will give him time” Just moments before the news of a deal was announced, Van Dijk hinted that he knew about the impending transfer, saying that he hoped new players could join the club in January and that quality was always welcome. Van Dijk likely had a hand in Gakpo’s decision to join Liverpool, as he likely was able to convince him of the merits of the Reds.
Virgil van Dijk had no sympathy for Wout Faes after the latter’s disastrous performance against Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk showed no mercy regarding Wout Faes after he cost Leicester the game with two own goals. It had started off strong for the Foxes when they took the early lead at Anfield, yet Liverpool battled back and eventually reigned victoriously. The centre-back had been performing remarkably up until this point. However, he made two mistakes that allowed the Reds to secure the win. The first own goal was a result of Faes disregarding Daniel Ward’s advice and awkwardly slicing in a clearance. Seven minutes later, his second blunder occurred following Darwin Nunez’s shot off the post. He then hammered his clearance straight into the back of the net.
Van Dijk did not pity his rival when asked if he felt sorry for Faes. He will now focus on fixing Liverpool’s defensive issues, which were again exposed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s initial goal. Liverpool’s traditionally strong defense has been breached multiple times this season. Many have attributed this to their aging midfield, which is not able to press as well as it used to.
Manager Jurgen Klopp acknowledged that the team was not performing to its usual level, yet was satisfied to take the three points. He told Sky Sports: “At times, I thought we were very poor today, but it sounds cliche; very important to win these types of games, so that’s the positive. Now, we have to recover, improve for Brentford.”
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Ujan Chakraborty
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