The Virgil Van Dijk Stays at Southampton Thread

Well Gareth Southgate doesn't want him anyway.

 

Anyone else feel Cedric's comments where a thinly veiled dig at VvD.

I train every day. I have a contract. I am happy. Goes on to repeat part 1 & 2 a few times.

Are you listening Virg.......probably not, got the Beatles on while watching old Cilla Black video's.........

 

What did Cedric say?

 

I don't understand why some fans think any of this would put a future player off joining us.

 

Wes his highly rated international team mate wasn't bothered either it seems.

 

Yes and my point is not about getting them to join us initially. It is that they will have second thoughts about signing that extension when it is offered. If VVD hadn't signed the extension when he did would he be entering his final year now? (I don't know, if he would've been). If he were or going into his final 2 years then we most likely would have sold him this summer as we have everyone else.

Getting them to sign the extra deal dramatically increases their value, so even if we say "here is a 5 year deal with a nice pay rise for you and we will still sell you a year into it if someone bids this much" then it may suit all parties. I am probably over simplifying things but I hope you get my point

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...-a3622061.html

 

I don't think it would put players off exactly but I do think it's accepted that to some extent we've sold ourselves to players like Mané as a stepping stone or shop window - a way into the Premier League before the really big clubs are prepared to take a risk on you. If we stop selling players we can't use that line any more.

Which is all fine by me. That line probably works to some extent (assuming we have used it) but by using it you're at least suggesting you'll let players move on and asking for them to kick off when you don't. We're also more established in the Premier League and perhaps don't need to use that line any more.

On follow-up contracts I think the key to that is regularly renewing the contracts of players likely to attract interest. Van Dijk signed a 5 year deal in 2015 so he would still have 3 years left if he hadn't extended. I read comments from Jermaine Jenas that Daniel Levy used to do something similar at Spurs and they're the sort of model we'll have to follow if we want to progress up the league so it all seems sensible to me.

 

Hmm...so we want good players to stay at the club, but they won't sign a long contract if they think they actually might have to stay at the club.

 

In a nutshell, yes. As I mentioned previously (and has been the case for the last few years) our best chance of bridging the gap is to sell players for high fees and reinvest in 2/3 more players and hope it makes the overall team better. By getting them to sign these deals and still selling them a year into the new deal means we get a much higher fee, meaning either getting 2/3, in theory, better/more expensive players. Or 4/5 players in the same price range. It is still a massive long shot but hopefully by doing this we could get to the stage where players are happy to stay after they have signed the new deals.

 

So the Scousers are already putting VD in their team on their board, what has changed since yesterday? I haven't seen anything to suggest that they have bid and we have accepted?...

 

Should they actually end up signing him they will cream their underpants. I think I might stay away from their city for a while if they do.

 

Best to stay away from this board.

 

"Er, Jurgen, wait, Jurgen...there seems to be a small problem..."

 

It's obvious the effect it's having. I mean it's not like we signed a young talent from Juventus or Lazio this summer....oh....

 

No, he'd be just starting the 3rd year of his original 5 year contract. So still bags of time on that one too. No doubt he was offered a stack of extra money when he signed the extension.

 

Indeed! Good words, good man. I think maybe some players may be hacked off with vd.

 

https://www.expressandstar.com/spor...acked-virgil-van-dijk-on-his-way-to-the-club/

Couldn't see this elsewhere on the thread.

 

Even if it is him this is still unbelievably sad

 

From last night

Redknapp said: "I remember doing The Debate show three weeks ago, four weeks ago now, and we were talking about [how] I thought it was a certainty that Liverpool would get Van Dijk. But they are digging their heels in. I’m hearing that there’s no way they’re gonna sell him".

Our message might have finally got through his thick skull.