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I don’t know where this Virgil van Dijk story came from, but a little birdie told Robbie that Arsenal was considering the top-class centre-back as the heir apparent to Koscielny.
Laurent Koscielny was ‘a little bit’ glass ankles and knees towards the end of last season, breaking this, spraining that and shaking up the fragile confidence of what was left of Arsenal’s defence in his absence.
Bar Petr Cech. There’s only so much a goalie can do when the defence is utter shambles.
Yes, yes… I know Cech made some fumbles with ‘catches he should have caught’, but that’s not to say we had stellar defensive cohesion in Koscielny’s absence.
Now, it’s only logical to want a successor for Koscielny – tough, strong and calm – since the man is getting older, slower and possibly more fragile than he has ever been in his career.
However, Virgil van Dijk is not the man. At least in my opinion.
He’s a fantastic defender and a leader but I see him as a replacement for Kos or Per and not an heir apparent.
Rob Holding would do a better job being an heir apparent in my opinion. The lad seems to have a good head on his shoulders and is about to outgrow diapers since Lord Wenger had him potty trained with the FA Cup final outing.
Anyway, the man in question – Virgil van Dijk – has his sights on Liverpool and has in fact demanded to be sold to Liverpool.
Imagine that.
The nerve.
However, the 26-year-old very much remains on Liverpool’s radar and the former Celtic star is reportedly ready to take matters into his own hands in a bid to force through his dream move to Anfield…
However, the Daily Mirror claims Van Dijk is said to be contemplating handing in a transfer request in a bid to hurry along the process. – TeamTalk
The Virgil van Dijk Conclusion
So this kills dead any rumour that Virgil van Dijk might be on his way or is even being considered for an Emirates move as the player has made his choice clear.
And we all know Liverpool offered an apology for tapping up the lad.
Going forward, it’s quite unclear who Koscielny’s successor would be considering that Holding, though potty trained, might wet himself a few times if thrown in the deep end immediately.
We’ve technically got 4 central defenders (Gabriel, Mustafi, Holding and Kos), and no, I’m not going to count Per because he’s as good as retired. He’s like a trophy wife now- just keep in a show glass and bring out on few occasions. Once we get this Alexis saga out of the way, next season should see us invest in an above decent centre-back.
And when I say ‘above decent’, I mean a lot better than Mustafi.
