In yet another bold statement about Liverpool’s transfer business this summer, Virgil van Dijk admitted that a fresh attack-minded signing could bring greater “balance” to the squad.
The defending Premier League champions appeared to require more cover at the opposite end of the pitch during Sunday’s Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace. Van Dijk himself was largely at fault for both goals Liverpool conceded in normal time, giving away the penalty which Jean-Philippe Mateta converted before trying and falling to catch Ismaïla Sarr offside in the second half.
Liverpool have already spent more this summer than in any previous window throughout the club’s entire history—something which Van Dijk predicted back in May—bringing in the likes of centre forward Hugo Ekitiké, Florian Wirtz as an attacking midfielder alongside fullbacks Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez.
Nevertheless, Liverpool remain relentlessly linked with Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, who seems to have his heart set on moving to Merseyside. Van Dijk certainly believes that there is room for the prolific forward.
“Well, we just lost Darwin [Núñez], he went to Saudi Arabia, and we lost Lucho [Luis Díaz], obviously, he went to Bayern,” the Dutch skipper told assembled reporters in the bowels of Wembley Stadium. “I think there’s always room for an attacker in order to strengthen us so let’s see what the window brings in terms of the balance of the team.”
There have also been suggestions that Liverpool may be in the market for a new centre back. Van Dijk started alongside Ibrahima Konaté at Wembley in a normally assured defensive pairing, but Arne Slot didn’t have a single alternative centre back on the bench. The Reds could be inclined to snap up Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, who has been publicly put up for sale by his club chairman.
Despite his desire for more recruits, Van Dijk struck a confident tone heading into the new campaign. “I think we have more than enough options to be good enough to win [the Premier League] again,” he declared. “This is where I focus on myself. With the players we have, we should be able to win [against Crystal Palace] and score. That’s actually what we did as well.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Virgil van Dijk Sends Clear Transfer Message Amid Alexander Isak Saga.
