Why Signing Virgil Van Dijk Would Have Made Manchester City Stronger
The Virgil Van Dijk saga finally died down and the Dutchman finally joined Liverpool for a record £75m. The club was accused of using illegal ways to approach the defender earlier but that doesn’t seem to have stopped them from signing the Southampton.
The Reds hastily issued an apology for approaching the player illegally and it looks like a thing of the past now. Chelsea and Manchester City emerged as interested parties as well before Van Dijk joined the Reds. Reports suggested that Pep Guardiola was edging closer to sign the highly sought-after player in January.
Had that happened, there is no doubt that it would have made Guardiola’s men stronger. One look at City’s team and it is quite evident that they have been in spectacular form and have outperformed every single club in the Premier League so far. Even the top four contenders proved to be no match for them and their goalscoring exploits fueled by the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane have been sensational, to say the least.
However, going forward, they will need a strong and quality central defender. Their defence has been decent enough but adding a player like the Dutchman could have provided greater depth at the back. Right now, City can easily score goals and win matches so even if they ship a goal or two, it does not matter. However, there is no guarantee that their attack will stay as sharp as it is right now and Van Dijk would have changed things remarkably on that front.
Also, City have been stretched for options to an extent when it comes to centre-backs this season. Eliaquim Mangala has been rather underwhelming while injuries to Vincent Kompany and John Stones left them bereft of some key players at the back. They do have Nicolas Otamendi but given Van Dijk’s potential, he could have worked his magic to truly establish the Etihad Stadium as an impregnable fortress.
Hence, City should have most definitely made a move for the prolific defender. As we have all seen before, the price has never been an issue for the club so £75m for landing Van Dijk should not have been an issue for them.
Nevertheless, Guardiola has a pool of talents in the market to choose from and he can target some other top defender to add to his squad.