The Virgil Van Dijk Stays at Southampton Thread

Mauricio Pellegrino speaking post-Huddersfield: "I think on September 1 that Virgil will be with us."

 

Double post.

 

It's ok, you can say that twice!

 

Glad Rob Jansen has been kicked into touch. His comments about how he got Koeman out of Southampton were beyond disrespectful. The football world needs to wake up to scum like this, they are killing the game.

 

Ah, so he must be the guy who wrote the 20,000 word leaving statement. If he's the Koeman guy then not sure picking Les Reed's worst enemy was VVD's smartest move (in a small field). But, the first step of the apology-comeback seems to be underway.

 

Either way it just might be a smart move.............Not so sure in regards to the alleged 2 year leaving clause.......Saints generally like them to stay at least half way through their agreed contract. Which would suggest a 3 year clause if at all...............VVD has little option but to apologise for his action if he wants to play for the first team again.......Same I guess for Courtino. The dutch football people may have helped by dropping him out of the squad this time round, (for what ever reason) it may have woken him up.......Who knows?

 

Some of you being a bit overoptimistic. He doesn't sound like he's dropped his agent to come crying back, but rather to keep worming a way out...

 

I'm sure he still wants out, but has just realised that he was ill advised by his last agent in how to go about it. Can now see that going behind the club's back to meetings arranged by Jansen didn't help at all....though the outcome may have been the same however they did it because of the club's stance in not selling him. In fact, employing Jansen at all was a bad move bearing in mind the club's opinion of him. Obviously now hoping to calm the waters and get a resolution, but I would have thought it is unlikely to work immediately.

 

Said new agent might have the sense to realise and then advise that an apology and a Morgan situation is the best way to go about this. And that if that happens Liverpool might be opened up as an option next season - assuming they take part in an actually bidding process and don't try and circumvent it

This is obviously the optimistIc view. But you would like to think a new agent is not going to suggest he strike for 6-12 months. That hard nosed arrogant approach has not exactly gone well so far

 

Whether we sell or force him to stay, it at least makes the week up to the deadline a tad more interesting.

 

Especially with the latest statement from Mopo 2

 

VVD has liked this tweet....

 

So hasn't learned anything.

 

If we force him to stay then this would be the best Summer window for many, many years. I know he will go eventually (probably in January), but it has shown that we are no longer a club to be messed with and clubs will think twice about just waltzing in and cherry picking our best players.

 

What will the meltdown be like if he leaves next week?

 

Yes, I kind of agree with Mills' thoughts on Liverpool, but Fletcher got it completely wrong when he said that if 'VVD hadn't wanted to play for Liverpool so much he'd be elsewhere by now'. Nope, he'd still be at Southampton.

There is one thing about glamour clubs, of which Liverpool is still one, albeit a lesser one - the media can't see past them.

 

I don't think they'll be one now. He's been such a cock that I'm sure people will accept it if he goes and accept it if he stays.

 

If VVD leaves next week then the football world will know that we really are the soft touch they thought we were and our principles can be broken just like any other football club that recognises its place in the hierarchy.

If we give in to all the media bluff and bluster then we will always be a mid-table football club and we can make Premier League survival, with the odd good cup run, our goals each season. That would result in stagnation and we'd probably end up like Aston Villa, or some such performing club.

Personally, I love the fact that Southampton FC doesn't recognise its designated place in the hierarchy. The club recognises that it is the smallest and least celebrated of the Top 6-7-8 clubs, but that doesn't hinder it a jot. Keeping VVD for half or a full season, or more, is stating that we won't be pushed around or will cave in, because we want to be successful ourselves. More smaller clubs should be like that. Long term, it would result in a more competitive league.

 

This guy...

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