Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is enjoying life under Arne Slot and relishing his role of being the link between the new head coach and the rest of the squad.
The Netherlands international has had a key role to play in a summer of upheaval at Anfield after the departure of long-time manager Jurgen Klopp and his entire backroom staff. However, the arrival of his compatriot has brought fresh ideas and the campaign has begun well with two victories. Predictions of a struggle without the influential Klopp have so far proved unfounded but after wins over newly-promoted Ipswich and Brentford the first real test comes on Sunday at Old Trafford.
However, the mood in the camp is buoyant and Van Dijk has done his utmost to help make the transition as seamless as possible. “I’ve actually enjoyed it so far, I’m having fun,” he told the PA news agency at a McDonald’s Fun Football session – which has provided over 500,000 children with free football in the last two years – in Bollington, Cheshire. “Obviously with big changes happening this summer it was always going to be interesting how things would be but the feeling so far has been very good and I can definitely speak for the rest of the team as well.
“I’ve mentioned to the boss as well in my first chat with him that whatever he needs, anything he has in his mind, I am there for him. We all want to achieve the maximum at the club that we can compete in and we have to be on the same page and that’s what I’ve mentioned to him. He knows that I’m behind him – that’s what a captain has to do anyway but I’ve really made sure that I am there for him.”
As one of the most senior players Van Dijk has an important role to play on and off the pitch and taking on the captaincy last summer appears to have enhanced his performances. He turned 33 in July but in terms of centre-backs that is still relatively young, with recent examples proving with the right attention to detail a player’s elite-level career can extend well into their late 30s. Thiago Silva was 39 when he left Chelsea this summer, while Manchester United will have Jonny Evans, 37 in January, in their squad on Sunday.
Speculation about Van Dijk’s future increases by the week as he is in the final year of his contract at Anfield with a new deal yet to be finalised, but the Dutchman does not see age as being any sort of barrier to his ability to continue to perform at the highest level. “I feel very good personally, I feel like it is nowhere near the end so far. There are plenty more years left and let’s see what happens,” he added. “It is the one percent which makes a difference in terms of looking after yourself and the work you do at home in terms of recovery and treatment, making sure you eat the right stuff, rest.
“That’s what I’ve been doing for so many years and that’s why I’ve been consistent in the amount of games I’ve been playing over the last couple of years. That’s maybe the most difficult thing nowadays in football: staying consistent and playing the amount of games and being available. Maybe that is sometimes taken for granted, I won’t say that’s the case with me, but more in general. After the international break we have double programmes every week [with the Champions League starting] and I kind of enjoy that because games are the most beautiful thing there is, especially when you play for a club like Liverpool.”
The mood has also been boosted by the club’s first transfers of the summer, Juventus forward Federico Chiesa for an initial £10 million and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who immediately returned to Valencia on loan. “I think in terms of the season being so long with so many games we definitely could use any quality addition that will be needed and to have Chiesa coming in is a very good signing, especially for the deal that has been done,” said Van Dijk. “We don’t need to forget that getting players is not as easy as everyone thinks. I know the club is doing a lot of hard work in trying to make deals and do the right thing.”
Liverpool’s veteran captain was noncommittal but unconcerned when asked about his future at the club beyond 2024-25. While for many the first thought turns to potential signings during the summer transfer window, for Liverpool fans the bigger story in a summer that has seen them yet to make a signing for the first team for this season isn’t transfers, it’s contracts. With homegrown Trent Alexander-Arnold, superstar Mohamed Salah, and captain Virgil van Dijk all entering the final year of their contracts there is now a real risk of the losing three of their best and most important players for nothing next summer.
It’s an inevitable talking point that will only grow in perceived importance for the fans and pundits when the transfer window shuts and the weeks and months pass, and already the players are starting to be asked about their futures by the media. “I’m very calm,” Van Dijk said of his contract situation after Liverpool’s 2-0 week two victory over Brentford on Sunday. “I just want to play the best I can again this season, I want to be an important player and stay important for the club this year. Whatever happens next year, we’ll see. Everything happens for a reason, that’s how I see it, but there’s been no changes in my situation. I’m very calm about it because I still have the whole season to play first and hopefully it will be a successful one.”
All three players have been amongst the Reds’ best performers in week one and two under new manager Arne Slot, and it remains unclear if delays in getting new deals done reflects a hesitancy on the part of the club or the parts of the players. Regardless, if the transfer window shuts with no new signings and all three big contract question marks unresolved, more than a few fans will be asking what exactly new sporting director Richard Hughes has accomplished since joining the club. An already strong squad and efforts to sign star six Martin Zubimendi only to have him go back on his word and refuse to join are mitigating factors, but no signings for this season and three stars on expiring deals could inspire only concern.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk says he is “very calm” about his future at the club as he enters the final season of his contract. Van Dijk last signed terms at Liverpool in the summer of 2021, having missed the majority of the 2020-21 campaign through injury. The 33-year-old is Liverpool’s club captain and his contract situation — along with that of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, who are in the same boat — was analysed by The Athletic earlier this week. “I’m very calm,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “I want to play the best season I can, again. I want to be important and stay important for the club this year. Whatever happens next year, we’ll see. Everything happens for a reason, that’s how I see it. There’s been no changes in my situation but I’m very calm about it, there’s no reason for me to sit down and start thinking about something else because I have the whole season to play. Hopefully, it’ll be a successful one.”
Van Dijk has started both of Liverpool’s opening games as new head coach Arne Slot has begun his reign with 2-0 wins against Ipswich Town and Brentford. The Netherlands captain has played 272 times for Liverpool since joining from Southampton for £75million in 2018. During that time, he has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and two League Cups.
Virgil van Dijk says he and his Liverpool teammates want to move on from the Jürgen Klopp era and focus on new boss Arne Slot. Slot has won his first two competitive games in charge of Liverpool by 2-0 scorelines, including against Brentford in his first match at Anfield. There has been a lot to like about Liverpool’s performances under the Dutchman so far, with some flowing attacking moves and defensive solidity. But there is also definitely a more measured approach to the Reds compared to some of the high-octane football played under Klopp.
Speaking after Sunday’s win at Anfield, Van Dijk looked back fondly on an ‘amazing’ time under Klopp, but quickly called on comparisons between the German and Slot to end. Instead, it’s time to focus on doing the best for Liverpool’s new boss. “It all starts, it sounds cliche, but we all defend together,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “If you see how quickly they counter on us, we get behind the ball no matter what happens. Its’ a good start, something to build on, so let’s see. The time with Jurgen was amazing. The time with Arne is there now. He has a certain way of playing out of the back, the way we defend, a lot of meetings, but with a lot of detail. We see a lot of patterns with and without the ball that give us a lot of confidence and structure to the team. I’m not saying forget about the Jürgen period, but that’s the past. But we have the new boss and that’s what we want to focus on, not comparing the bosses.”
