Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has hailed Virgil van Dijk by declaring that his own club need to make a statement signing like Liverpool’s Dutch defensive colossus.
Following a protracted pursuit which had prompted the Reds to step away from a deal and issue a statement of apology in the previous summer’s transfer window, Van Dijk finally quit Southampton for Anfield in January 2018 in a £75million deal – a world record fee at the time for a defender.
Following his arrival, he, with the help of goalkeeper Alisson who arrived later that year, helped transform Jurgen Klopp’s side from mere contenders to winners of major honours with the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and now Premier League all in the bag.
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Asked if landing a defender similar to Van Dijk was his aim, the Mirror quote Arteta, whose Arsenal side host Liverpool on Wednesday night, as replying: “Yes as that is the way that I believe a team has to be built.
“They [Liverpool] were conceding goals, with some individual errors and some set pieces as well.
“And the moment they touched the spine of the team that changes dramatically. So that is a quick fix.
“You get one of the best defenders in the world with the best goalkeeper in the world with one of the best holding midfielders in the world and you change it pretty quickly.
“You can see what happened straight away at Manchester City when Aymeric Laporte came in.
“But we have to know that we have to do it our way with our resources. We have to find a way.”
