The Virgil Van Dijk Stays at Southampton Thread

Alongside Romeu, or in a back 3 with Cedric and Ryan pushing on....

 

Then Ralph added. "I will tell you one thing, Virgil won't be sold to ****ing Liverpool" ! Lol

 

For me that didn't feel like a meet our asking price interview. No mention of things like 'on our terms' etc.

I've always believed there would become a point where we would have to go from selling our best players to flesh out our squad with mid table players, to replacing those players with players who could compete with top 7 which would mean not selling the ones we already have.

I believe we have a squad of mid table players now. We just sold our 4th choice striker to mid table West Brom who is now a starter.

I think we are now in a phase that if you want to take our players top 7 prices are no longer good enough and you will have to pay the fee to buy a world class player because top 7 players are staying here.

That interview excited me because of how he didn't mention it as a single deal or a bunch of single deals but as phases and a long term strategy which is how I like to think about this.

The main problem we will have is attracting players, even at top wages players would rather go to established sides who will also pay top wages. In order to attract players you need top players. And if you get lucky they get poached next window.
3 ways I can see to avoid that, either you buy them all at once like Everton seem to be attempting. You under-perform for a season so they don't get noticed then suddenly turn it on like Leicester.
Or you have them on massive contracts so you can buy them over a couple of seasons and not sell. We develop players rather than buy them, but we are perfectly capable of developing top players.

The happy clapper in me thinks we underperformed last season so we may actually be about to combine 2 and 3. If we can improve a few of the players we have now like Redmond, JWP, Boufal, Lemina etc in the same way we have others and keep the best players we have right now until they have 2 or 3 years left on their contract, which is within our power, then i really think we would have a team capable establishing ourselves as competing with Everton and teams at the bottom of the top 7 for European places and cup trophies.
Even when we start selling 1 or 2 of our best players every window when their contract gets lower, at that point we will still have other quality players in the squad and players coming through and will attract better talent to develop and truely be competing at a higher level if we establish ourselves in the same way as we have done with the top half currently.

I'm not so naive to not realise i am interpreting these quotes in the way i want to interpret them, but its the start of a new season and i want to get excited!
COYS

 

I think VVD will be gone in January , but only our terms .

 

Now that would be really pointless. Of we are going to sell then do it now or next summer. Doesn't work well for anyone if we sell in january

 

I think he will still get plenty of game time this season. RK said VVD would not be gone this window - does not rule out next Summer and I wonder if that will be the deal as it was with Morgan to get him playing. Stephens still has time to improve even more than he has done already and hopefully with Hoedt and him at the back for the long term will do us very nicely.

With regard to Maya - I just have this feeling that he has not got a new contract because he does not want one. Has done his time here - the club are recognising the great loyalty he has shown (read and learn VVD) and he might be looking to move closer to home. I would like him to stay and even continue here after his career, but he strikes me as a person who considers family more than just cash (read again VVD). All this might be wrong but I think there is more depth and integrity to Maya than the vast majority of modern footballers.

 

If one of the big boys had wanted Maya though, it would be very different. It is not simply loyalty that has kept him and Davis here.

 

I have lost all interest in the jerk now. Couldn't be bothered if we sell and move on or keep hold of him.

Good for the club though, in sticking to their decision and making a point. Well done saints.

 

Van Dijk would be making a big gamble if he is made to stay but refuses to play. By the next window he wouldn't have played in a year and still have a long contract so the price wouldn't drop

But clubs would be less keen to pay a huge fee for someone lacking so much match practice

As for Stephens I would think he gets games up to the window and for several weeks afterwards whilst van dijk gets match fit - potentially in U23s and league cup. I can't see us throwing even out best player in after no matches for 9 or so months and at least 6 of those actually injured

 

They've just had a new daughter. I'm assuming his wife is Japanese. Priorities change and being so far from home could be a factor, plus (although a few years off) they may prefer Japanese schooling.
Plus we might not of offered one

 

If VD decides to refuse to play on a long term basis he may find himself in breach of contract and time for the lawyers to step in. Bet our pockets are deeper than his

 

Having to fight for a place... come on!!

 

No transfer fee would certainly make a move back to Japan (or at least closer) easier to achieve

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/virgil-van-dijk-pays-southampton-11000505

Virgil not called up for Holland.

 

What's your secret? They don't like me much at the moment.

 

Skylarker is quite for once......

 

Funny how they have all disappeared I thought they liked it here.

 

Well done Ralph. Exactly what needed saying: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40953662
He realises that Saints have to make a stand and will not be pushed about anymore. Virgil just happened to be a season too late with his demands. Now he either knuckles down or rots. I expect it to be only for one season anyway. Then again, listening to Ralph properly. maybe more.

 

So, back to Virgil's transfer request thing. Has any footballer ever released such a stupid counter productive statement before?