Virgil van Dijk

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Cobwebcat said:
Can you imagine if we had swapped Mangala and cash for VVD.

What a difference that would have made.
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No I can't imagine that cos Southampton made it crystal clear he wasn't going anywhere this window. Hence why he's still there.
 
Very happy Dippers didn't get him - In fact, I am not scared of any of our rivals' purchases this summer - We have the best squad and should, if everything goes according to plan, win it. Rags will be our main competitors.
 
Shame we didn't go balls out for VVD this window rather than arsing around trying to get icing on the cake players like Mbappe and Sanchez. I still think we could have got him and I think he would have given us a significantly better chance of winning stuff. As it is we are now completely at the mercy of Vinnie's calf muscles. At least Liverpool didn't get him.
 
I'm surprised once the Sanchez deal started to fall apart we didn't move for vvd we would have had the money sitting there, and he would improve us a fair bit.
 
A few things on Van Dijk that people still don't seem to understand:

1. He was originally a target for us, but we didn't want to match Southampton's valuation and stopped pursuing him.
2. Early in the window he chose Liverpool over us, it was apparent he didn't want to come here this window.
3. I'm sure the original plan was to let Otamendi leave, sign a world class centre half to replace him and keep Kolarov as 4th choice. By having to spend more on full backs than we budgeted for and Kolarov wanting to leave, the plans changed and we only had money to bring in a 4th choice centre half.
4. The money we didn't use i.e. the Sanchez or Mbappe funds, would never have been used on a big name centre half. It was in the plan to use that to bring in an attacker, and I'm sure it'll be kept to do so if any suitable targets become available in January.
5. Southampton were adamant he was going nowhere all summer, and good for them for having that ambition.

So he was never in our budget, he didn't want to come and Southampton weren't going to let him leave.
 
Lancet Fluke said:
Shame we didn't go balls out for VVD this window rather than arsing around trying to get icing on the cake players like Mbappe and Sanchez. I still think we could have got him and I think he would have given us a significantly better chance of winning stuff. As it is we are now completely at the mercy of Vinnie's calf muscles. At least Liverpool didn't get him.
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First and best way to build a team - solid at the back!
 
Trautmann's Chiropractor said:
A few things on Van Dijk that people still don't seem to understand:

1. He was originally a target for us, but we didn't want to match Southampton's valuation and stopped pursuing him.
2. Early in the window he chose Liverpool over us, it was apparent he didn't want to come here this window.
3. I'm sure the original plan was to let Otamendi leave, sign a world class centre half to replace him and keep Kolarov as 4th choice. By having to spend more on full backs than we budgeted for and Kolarov wanting to leave, the plans changed and we only had money to bring in a 4th choice centre half.
4. The money we didn't use i.e. the Sanchez or Mbappe funds, would never have been used on a big name centre half. It was in the plan to use that to bring in an attacker, and I'm sure it'll be kept to do so if any suitable targets become available in January.
5. Southampton were adamant he was going nowhere all summer, and good for them for having that ambition.

So he was never in our budget, he didn't want to come and Southampton weren't going to let him leave.
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Fair enough. I find it a bit odd that we would have our transfer budget partitioned into amounts for specific positions like that but you may be right. If so, it is just a shame (IMO) that we are prepared to spend shit loads on attackers but seemingly think we can now manage with relatively low budget buys at CB. As for him not wonting to come, as others have said, just because Liverpool may have been his number one option, doesn't mean he would not have come to us, especially if Southampton had decided they weren't going to deal with Liverpool. Do you think he'd rather be playing for us for the rest of this season or Southampton. If Southampton really were determined to keep him, then true there's nothing we could do but I suspect they had decided they weren't going to sell to Liverpool and nobody else got near their valuation. I'd love us to sign him next window or next summer.
 
Dave Ewing's Back 'eader said:
First and best way to build a team - solid at the back!
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Very true, and if United win the league with the dire football they play and their mediocre players, will be sick, they look solid defensively although a lot of that is down to their tactics, we play a different kind of game, will be interesting to see what comes out on top in the PL
 
dublinblue12 said:
Very true, and if United win the league with the dire football they play and their mediocre players, will be sick, they look solid defensively although a lot of that is down to their tactics, we play a different kind of game, will be interesting to see what comes out on top in the PL
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I think Mourinho looks at each match and asks how many points can we get from this fixture whereas Pep will look to win by playing 'beautiful' football. In the hullabaloo of PL and English football the former approach is likely to be the one that maximises the points total! Unfortunately!
 
I think he was available at the start of the window as we were quoted a price apparently. I bet it looks a bargain now whatever it was.

I'm not having he would only go to Liverpool. Money talks. If we knew then what would happen with our targets I think we would have got him.

Next time hopefully...
 
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