View: Sepp van den Berg must stop fixating on Liverpool price and take ‘perfect’ pre-season chance
Sepp van den Berg has been public about his desire for more playing time, at Liverpool or another club this season.
The 22-year-old has made an effort in the media to voice his opinions on the Reds’ £20m valuation of him and once said the club are hindering his future (De Telegraaf, 1 June).
Van den Berg has been quiet about his future since returning to Merseyside but it is clear his main goal is to play regularly next season.
He said: “I’m still a Liverpool player. I enjoy it here, really. Like I said it’s been a very nice pre-season, a new coach, a new era starts, fresh training, a new style of play, so I really like it.
“For me, it’s perfect. I can show myself in training [and] in the games, get game time, get rhythm, so it’s been very good.
“Like I said, for me it’s just about game time and at the moment I am getting it here so I’m happy. It’s still early, you never know what can happen, but for me the most important thing is playing.
“If I can do it here there’s no better place, it’s one of the biggest clubs – if not the biggest – in the world so if it is here it is my dream. But for me the most important thing is to play so we will see what happens.” (liverpoolfc.com, 27 July)
Van den Berg needs to focus on Liverpool success
Interest in the defender has cooled down in recent weeks and, he has impressed Arne Slot following his return from Germany and started alongside Jarell Quansah in the first match of the USA tour against Real Betis on Saturday (27 July).
He has the physical attributes to become a mainstay in the Liverpool defence and recorded a top speed of 34.87 kmh last season for Mainz, which makes him the fastest centre-back in the side (Daily Mail, 5 May).
With Virgil Van Dijk approaching the twilight years of his career and the injury record of Ibrahima Konate, the Reds could use a player of van den Berg’s qualities in the squad next season.
If he is willing to fight for his place, the defender is eager for more minutes, and rightfully so, he enjoyed an incredible campaign for Mainz last term and has earned the right to be amongst the first-team.
Liverpool are, however, blessed with a plethora of talent at centre-back and van den Berg will not be able to walk his way into the starting line-up.
The Reds are reportedly in the market for another option at centre-back this summer but van den Berg has the chance to showcase his worth and save the club millions of pounds.
But the Dutch defender cannot get the price tag out of his mind and, has spoken about the club’s valuation of him again.
He said: “I know in today’s market crazy things can happen. They put a price tag on me which Liverpool may think is right because I had a good season last year.
“The first reaction from me was that it was quite high! Of course, it is a compliment in one way. It’s a sign of how well I did last year. But it makes it a bit more difficult the other way. If they only thought I was worth £2m, that wouldn’t be nice… But £20m is maybe on the high side.” (The Athletic, 28 July)
The more that van den Berg talks about his price, the more it seems that a move away from Anfield is on his mind and could be the best viable option for him.
With Van Dijk, Konate, and even Joe Gomez not returning to the side until after the pre-season tour of the USA, he has the perfect opportunity to impress Slot and force himself into his plans this season.
He needs to stop fixating on how much a move away could cost a potential buyer and focus on fighting for a chance to be a first-team regular for the Reds next season.
Otherwise, his relations with the club and the fans could sour quickly.
In other Liverpool news, Three things learned from Liverpool v Real Betis.
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