Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the premier defenders in Europe while playing for Liverpool, contributing significantly to the team’s success in winning the Premier League, Champions League, and other trophies.
Before his move to England, the Dutchman was closely observed by several Premier League clubs during his time at Celtic, including Arsenal and Liverpool. Had either side secured his signature at that time, it might have come at a lower cost than what Liverpool eventually paid for him.
John Collins, a former coach at Celtic, has recently disclosed the reason why Arsenal opted against signing Virgil van Dijk during his tenure at the Scottish club.
He said, as quoted by the Daily Star:
“Arsenal’s chief scout thought he was too nonchalant.
“Maybe that was part of his game but he ticks so many of the other boxes. He’s got pace, power, balance, distribution and he’s good in the air. He can be a bit nonchalant but he is a quality player.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
If we had signed VVD at the time, he may have flopped. His move to Southampton helped to develop him further, so Liverpool signed a much better version of the centre-back.
We do not need to regret not moving for him because he may not have been the right signing for us at that time.
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