re: tOfficial Liverpool 2017/2018 Thread: “Upgrades Incoming Edition: A Great Season!”

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Matchday 1 – September 13 – Sevilla (H)
Matchday 2 – September 26 – Spartak Moscow (A)
Matchday 3 – October 17 – Maribor (A)
Matchday 4 – November 1 – Maribor (H)
Matchday 5 – November 21 – Sevilla (A)
Matchday 6 – December 6 – Spartak Moscow (H)

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It remains to be seen whether that kind of harmony can be restored between Southampton and Van Dijk, after Independent.ie were given a glimpse in a feud between Saints officials and the Dutchman’s management company that started long before this summer’s stand-off over a move to Liverpool.

Van Dijk is represented by the same group that also manage the business affairs of former Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, with the overly aggressive and abrasive approach taken by the Dutchman and his management team over his move to Everton last summer leaving lasting animosity on both sides.
So when Van Dijk and his agent strode in for a meeting with Southampton officials back in May and confirmed that he had decided to leave the club and wanted to join Liverpool, the tension that lingered from a year earlier was reignited.

When Southampton officials then learned that Van Dijk and his advisers had already held talks with Liverpool (and Manchester City and Chelsea) over a move without their permission, Saints Sporting Director Les Reed vowed to ensure his club would not be bullied into a deal to sell their prized asset.

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Southampton are doing their bit to confirm that players do not hold all the power when it comes to deciding their destiny, but Van Dijk has gone to such lengths to try and secure a route out of the club that you wonder how Saints fans will react to him if he lines up in their colours for the first time since January 22nd when Saints play Watford at St Mary’s Stadium on September 9th.

Just 55 games into his Premier League career, Van Dijk has suddenly been cast as the most valuable defender in world football and after Southampton signed his fellow Dutchman Wesley Hoedt from Lazio on Tuesday, they have enough defensive quality to thrive this season without their disillusioned former leader.

We have long gone beyond the point of conflict resolution in Van Dijk’s shattered relationship with Southampton, so if a £70m offer was made by Chelsea or Liverpool in the coming days, all parties in this messy and unpleasant spat would be wise to end their war and go their separate ways.

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