Liverpool agree world-record £75m deal for Virgil van Dijk

[SW5 SAINT]

In the few games that he played for us, I was surprised to see on a couple of occasions that he was feeling his leg/foot after a challenge as if his injury wasn't quite right and properly mended. TBH I still have no idea what the injury was, and am not sure if it was ever publicised, which is strange in itself.

 

You would assume that LFC conducted a rigorous medical, would have been extremely embarrassing had he(VvD) failed it.........

[angelman]

Absolutely SW5, hence why I did wonder whether it might be sending messages to the bench of either not wanting to be injured pre-move.

[View From The Top]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game with the price set, as it had been in the summer, at £70m minimum and the desire to get rid at the start of the window so to have time to bring players in. VvD was told he'd be sold to the highest bidder, not his preferred club and he and his people were OK with that.

 

Both City and Chelsea were informed of the decision and given 1st opportunity to speak with the players representatives. They were given 1st dibs due to the way they behaved during the summer, and backing out when Saints said he wasn't for sale.

 

Players reps met with and agreed personal terms with the player and then City, I'm assuming Chelsea too but I'm not 100% on that, offered Saints £60m.

 

It was about here that the dippers got in touch and basically said sorry about the summer and we'll give you £70m cash and £5m in very achievable add ons (spread over 2 payments I believe).

 

Saints went back to the other 2 clubs but both bulked at £70m, or at least stalled, so Saints said yes to the dippers. By the time City realised that they'd been out maneuvered it was to late.

 

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

 

Of course, feel free to treat this info in anyway you see fit but it is how I understand the timeline and events.

 

Personally I thought he was going to go to Chelsea and City offered him a fortune but Saints just went for the most cash for the club.

[RonManager]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jan/02/david-squires-on-footballs-new-year-resolutions-for-2018?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

Bottom left panel.

[SKD]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game with the price set, as it had been in the summer, at £70m minimum and the desire to get rid at the start of the window so to have time to bring players in. VvD was told he'd be sold to the highest bidder, not his preferred club and he and his people were OK with that.

 

Both City and Chelsea were informed of the decision and given 1st opportunity to speak with the players representatives. They were given 1st dibs due to the way they behaved during the summer, and backing out when Saints said he wasn't for sale.

 

Players reps met with and agreed personal terms with the player and then City, I'm assuming Chelsea too but I'm not 100% on that, offered Saints £60m.

 

It was about here that the dippers got in touch and basically said sorry about the summer and we'll give you £70m cash and £5m in very achievable add ons (spread over 2 payments I believe).

 

Saints went back to the other 2 clubs but both bulked at £70m, or at least stalled, so Saints said yes to the dippers. By the time City realised that they'd been out maneuvered it was to late.

 

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

 

Of course, feel free to treat this info in anyway you see fit but it is how I understand the timeline and events.

 

Personally I thought he was going to go to Chelsea and City offered him a fortune but Saints just went for the most cash for the club.

 

Heart says we should have taken the £10/£15m hit, head says good business decision and that's potentially a new player.

 

£70/£75m is too much for a club of our size (and league position) to turn down.

 

All in all, a good deal for player and club... A bit of a kick in the teeth for fans (who didn't want us to sell to the Victims), but so be it.

[John Boy Saint]

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

.

Given the way him and his posse have dicked us around for the past 6 months, if this is what happened, good that we have had the last laugh......... especially if money was the overiding factor in VVDs decision making and City slapped a few more quid per week on the table than liverpool.

[saint1977]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game with the price set, as it had been in the summer, at £70m minimum and the desire to get rid at the start of the window so to have time to bring players in. VvD was told he'd be sold to the highest bidder, not his preferred club and he and his people were OK with that.

 

Both City and Chelsea were informed of the decision and given 1st opportunity to speak with the players representatives. They were given 1st dibs due to the way they behaved during the summer, and backing out when Saints said he wasn't for sale.

 

Players reps met with and agreed personal terms with the player and then City, I'm assuming Chelsea too but I'm not 100% on that, offered Saints £60m.

 

It was about here that the dippers got in touch and basically said sorry about the summer and we'll give you £70m cash and £5m in very achievable add ons (spread over 2 payments I believe).

 

Saints went back to the other 2 clubs but both bulked at £70m, or at least stalled, so Saints said yes to the dippers. By the time City realised that they'd been out maneuvered it was to late.

 

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

 

Of course, feel free to treat this info in anyway you see fit but it is how I understand the timeline and events.

 

Personally I thought he was going to go to Chelsea and City offered him a fortune but Saints just went for the most cash for the club.

 

Thanks for the info VFFT - very interesting. I think in retrospect I can cope with Liverpool buying him as Saints need to cash to rebuild - the extra £10-15m is another player for us, or a significant chunk of a really decent one. Would have preferred for him to go to City but I'm not sure Pep would have used him as guaranteed first choice after Stones returned from injury, plus Chelsea there are always rumours about Conte leaving, quelled by recent results but never totally disappear. Be interesting to see if there's any impact on a potential arrival for Daniel Sturridge or not - not surprised it wasn't a part-ex as for 2 high profile players plus all the entourages that could have been horribly complex and stopped us moving swiftly in the window as we need to.

[Chez]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game with the price set, as it had been in the summer, at £70m minimum and the desire to get rid at the start of the window so to have time to bring players in. VvD was told he'd be sold to the highest bidder, not his preferred club and he and his people were OK with that.

 

Both City and Chelsea were informed of the decision and given 1st opportunity to speak with the players representatives. They were given 1st dibs due to the way they behaved during the summer, and backing out when Saints said he wasn't for sale.

 

Players reps met with and agreed personal terms with the player and then City, I'm assuming Chelsea too but I'm not 100% on that, offered Saints £60m.

 

It was about here that the dippers got in touch and basically said sorry about the summer and we'll give you £70m cash and £5m in very achievable add ons (spread over 2 payments I believe).

 

Saints went back to the other 2 clubs but both bulked at £70m, or at least stalled, so Saints said yes to the dippers. By the time City realised that they'd been out maneuvered it was to late.

 

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

 

Of course, feel free to treat this info in anyway you see fit but it is how I understand the timeline and events.

 

Personally I thought he was going to go to Chelsea and City offered him a fortune but Saints just went for the most cash for the club.

 

thanks for the information. Personally I didn't care where he ended up. City, Chelsea or Liverpool. All that mattered was that we got a massive fee that represented his quality and took into account the huge inflation in prices due to the Naymar move. And we certainly got that, so much so hardly anyone has felt let down by the club. Those that do need to think long and hard about what they would have done if they were actually making the decisions.

[trousers]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game

 

Cheers for the insights VFTT - appreciated.

 

Out of curiosity, do you know whether it was a specific "straw that broke the camel's back" event around the time of the Huddersfield game that convinced the board to sell VvD in the January window (rather than wait until the end of the season, for example), or was it something they had been thinking of doing all along and the decision just happened to be rubber stamped around the time of the Huddersfield game? Cheers

[Micky]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jan/02/david-squires-on-footballs-new-year-resolutions-for-2018?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

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Good to see that his behaviour and it's impact was not lost on everyone.

 

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[Whitey Grandad]

You would assume that LFC conducted a rigorous medical, would have been extremely embarrassing had he(VvD) failed it.........

 

Medical was Wednesday last week at the Wessex Hospital Bournemouth, I read somewhere.

[trousers]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/jan/02/david-squires-on-footballs-new-year-resolutions-for-2018?CMP=share_btn_tw

 

Bottom left panel.

 

[Whitey Grandad]

thanks for the information. Personally I didn't care where he ended up. City, Chelsea or Liverpool. All that mattered was that we got a massive fee that represented his quality and took into account the huge inflation in prices due to the Naymar move. And we certainly got that, so much so hardly anyone has felt let down by the club. Those that do need to think long and hard about what they would have done if they were actually making the decisions.

 

My feelings too (for what they're worth).

[Shroppie]

Medical was Wednesday last week at the Wessex Hospital Bournemouth, I read somewhere.

Hopefully conducted by Saints-supporting medics who might just have overlooked something? [emoji15][emoji6]

 

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[Saint Albert]

This is a version of events that I've been told from the NW.

 

Decision was made by Saints to flog him around the time of the Huddersfield game with the price set, as it had been in the summer, at £70m minimum and the desire to get rid at the start of the window so to have time to bring players in. VvD was told he'd be sold to the highest bidder, not his preferred club and he and his people were OK with that.

 

Both City and Chelsea were informed of the decision and given 1st opportunity to speak with the players representatives. They were given 1st dibs due to the way they behaved during the summer, and backing out when Saints said he wasn't for sale.

 

Players reps met with and agreed personal terms with the player and then City, I'm assuming Chelsea too but I'm not 100% on that, offered Saints £60m.

 

It was about here that the dippers got in touch and basically said sorry about the summer and we'll give you £70m cash and £5m in very achievable add ons (spread over 2 payments I believe).

 

Saints went back to the other 2 clubs but both bulked at £70m, or at least stalled, so Saints said yes to the dippers. By the time City realised that they'd been out maneuvered it was to late.

 

Saints simply sold to the highest bidder on their own terms.

 

Of course, feel free to treat this info in anyway you see fit but it is how I understand the timeline and events.

 

Personally I thought he was going to go to Chelsea and City offered him a fortune but Saints just went for the most cash for the club.

 

I don’t mind how the club handled things in this case. Thanks for the info.

[Bermuda Saint]

I am happy for the money Scousehampton, everyone can see you have continued your raid on little Saints, most of the fans of clubs outside of the top 6 see this as travesty to the game. Big Bully *****s building a team off Southampton's good scouting. They just say they are glad it not them!! AS for VVD going to Liverfool, GREAT!! at least he will have to work for his place in the top 6, not just be given the title. If he went to ManC, that would have been harder to watch, jumping around at the end of the season as PL champions, given the best manager and teammates we have ever seen, just too sickening for that pompASS (pompous) ****! I said it in the summer, he should not be near our team, cant trust the *****. Football is all about fine margins at our level, his attitude on the field and off will have been a detriment to our club. The first half of the season proves it. No great surprise we are putting in a better team effort since he left. We have good players, just not a good team, VVD killed the team spirit, ****ed on the passion it takes to create team spirit! now he has gone I see it returning. We are becoming a Team again! so as a TEAM (including us, The fans, ten's of thousands strong) we will all pull together!! (please punch the ****ing boo boys). Saints go marching in!!!

[S-Clarke]

I am happy for the money Scousehampton, everyone can see you have continued your raid on little Saints, most of the fans of clubs outside of the top 6 see this as travesty to the game. Big Bully *****s building a team off Southampton's good scouting. They just say they are glad it not them!! AS for VVD going to Liverfool, GREAT!! at least he will have to work for his place in the top 6, not just be given the title. If he went to ManC, that would have been harder to watch, jumping around at the end of the season as PL champions, given the best manager and teammates we have ever seen, just too sickening for that pompASS (pompous) ****! I said it in the summer, he should not be near our team, cant trust the *****. Football is all about fine margins at our level, his attitude on the field and off will have been a detriment to our club. The first half of the season proves it. No great surprise we are putting in a better team effort since he left. We have good players, just not a good team, VVD killed the team spirit, ****ed on the passion it takes to create team spirit! now he has gone I see it returning. We are becoming a Team again! so as a TEAM (including us, The fans, ten's of thousands strong) we will all pull together!! (please punch the ****ing boo boys). Saints go marching in!!!

 

Nice to hear from you on here Ralf.

 

Single digits this year?