Liverpool journalist Paul Gorst has been sharing his thoughts on Reds defender Virgil van Dijk and a potential new contract for the Dutchman.
This comes after the journalist recently made an appearance on the Liverpool Echo’s Blood Red podcast in which he spoke about the defender and a potential new deal for him at the Merseyside club.
Gorst said that: “I’ve never seen a defender like him at Liverpool and I think when he retires he’ll go down alongside the absolute best: the Ron Yateses, the Alan Hansens; he is that good.”
On the topic of a new contract for Van Dijk, Gorst said that the defender “deserves to be given a renewed contract and more lucrative terms”.
The defender first signed to the Merseyside club back in January 2018 from fellow Premier League club Southampton for a fee of £76.19m according to Transfermarkt.
Since then, the 28-year-old, who is currently valued at £72 million according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 113 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side in which he has managed to score 11 goals and provide six assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
Is Virgil van Dijk already a Liverpool club legend?
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This season, in particular, has seen Van Dijk in impressive form. In 29 Premier League appearances, Van Dijk has managed to score four goals and provide one assist (per WhoScored).
His performances in these appearances have resulted in the defender being awarded a season rating of 7.4/10, making him Liverpool’s third highest-rated player in this campaign (per WhoScored).
TIF Thoughts…
With Van Dijk’s current contract at Liverpool set to run out at the end of June 2023, there is still time for the club to work out a new deal for the defender.
Looking at how impressive Van Dijk has been in the Premier League so far this season, it’s understandable why Gorst thinks the club should do all they can to keep him at Anfield, even if that means improving the current terms on any new deal he gets offered.