Virgil van Dijk contract to edge closer at Liverpool after what Carragher’s seen
Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to sort out Virgil van Dijk’s contract.
The Reds captain is currently set to leave Anfield in the summer on a free transfer with no new deal agreed between the two parties.
However, the Dutchman is calm about the situation and is focused on securing the Premier League title and potentially the Champions League.
Carragher urges Liverpool to secure Van Dijk’s signature
The Anfield outfit have been told to secure Van Dijk’s signature urgently by former star Jamie Carragher.
The Reds legend believes that he would be the hardest to replace out of the out-of-contract trio due to the transformative effect he has had on the L4 outfit.
Speaking on Sky Sports (23 February, 13:31), he said: “Before he came, Liverpool would maybe have a title challenge every five years.
“When you look at those seasons and the games he played, the one where he does his cruciate, Liverpool don’t compete for the title.
“Every other season, bar one, Liverpool compete for the biggest prize, the one season they didn’t was the one with the World Cup in the middle.
“I think Virgil van Dijk played more football than any player in Europe, he wasn’t just quite himself, so that shows the transformation he has had on the football club.
“Talk about contracts will heat up again over the next few weeks and months, for me he’s the one, I feel needs to be at Liverpool next season more than anybody.
Liverpool need to sort Van Dijk contract
It would be a very weird situation if the club captain lifted the Premier League title and then left in the summer for no transfer fee and his departure would arguably hurt supporters the most.
It is unthinkable that the Reds allow the 33-year-old to leave whilst he is still at the peak of his powers, terrorising attackers every week and showing no signs of slowing down despite a brutal ACL injury in the 2020/21 campaign.
Ibrahima Konate is one of the best defenders in the league but Van Dijk is a level above anyone else and the likes of Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah are nowhere near his level.
| Stats (24/25 Premier League) | Van Dijk | Konate | Quansah | Gomez |
| Ground Duels won % | 69.8 | 69.4 | 51.6 | 65.8 |
| Aerial Duels won % | 72.3 | 77.3 | 45.5 | 69.2 |
| Interceptions | 42 | 9 | 5 | 7 |
| Recoveries | 84 | 63 | 5 | 34 |
The fact that Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold have been allowed to run down their contracts to the point where they can negotiate with foreign clubs is a travesty and reflects very poorly on Fenway Sports Group.
If all three leave the club, it would cost a fortune to replace them with the quality that it takes to be at the highest echelons of the game in the same window.
Considering the transformative effect that Carragher mentions, the Dutch international may be the hardest to replace, with the security that he offers at the back allowing Arne Slot‘s side to take risks in attack that they could not take if he was not there.