Virgil Van Dijk Commits to Southampton—But With A Caveat

Does anyone really want or need a recap of the Virgil Van Dijk transfer saga at this point? He’s a football player. Liverpool wanted him. They didn’t get him. Get it, got it, good. It was an ordeal that ruined an otherwise lovely summer on our warming planet that left nobody happy—certainly not the Southampton board, who missed out on club-record pay day—and probably not even Saints fans, who seemed to approach the season like jilted lovers struggling to mend a relationship with an unfaithful partner.

Understandably stripped of his captaincy, the towering defender has since sheepishly made his way back into the fold, starting all but one match for the south coast club since his return to the first team. With an awkward date with Jürgen Klopp and his former suitors approaching following the international break, the Dutch international has figured it might be the perfect time to reiterate his commitment to the Saints cause:

“Firstly, I don't think it's appropriate to comment on anything that happened before,” the 26-year-old said in an interview with the Daily Star. “But I am giving 100 per cent for the club. I work hard every day, I help my team-mates, I'm positive and I want to win every game.”

However, while the £70m-rated star went on to insist that he is truly is content at the mid-table club, he still made sure to leave just enough mystery to keep the tabloids well-stocked come January, hinting that he is “happy and that's the most important thing [but] we will just see what happens.”

Naturally, his Southampton squad are currently languishing at 13^th in the league table while Liverpool remain desperately in need of another starting-caliber center half. The one they call VVD will therefore be hoping that his status as Klopp’s openly #1 priority target will result in a renewed pursuit in the winter window.