[ad_1]
The former boss of the Seagulls went to the Netherlands to watch the central defender – which cost £ 75 million in 2018 – in Groningen and loved what he saw.
Gus Poyet revealed to SPORT that he could have signed Virgil van Dijk for only 3 million euros when he was managing Brighton.
Only the South Coast club could not afford it!
Van Dijk is imposed as one of the best defenders of the world
Van Dijk reported every penny of the 75 million pounds sterling paid by Liverpool in January 2018, with the Dutch international having recently been crowned player of the year by the PFA.
He arrived at Anfield from Southampton, who signed Scottish champion Celtic's central defender in 2015 for £ 13m – but it seems that he arrived in England much earlier in his career if Brighton had had a bigger budget.
SHAME
Liverpool supporters filmed pushing the local Barca into a fountain, six "arrested for badault"
Then in the championship, former Seagull boss, Gus Poyet, went to the Netherlands to see Van Dijk in action, and he liked what he saw.
Speaking at the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on Wednesday, Poyet said: "I went to see Van Dijk in Groningen while I was coaching in Brighton.
"We went to Groningen to watch the match and it was too easy for him. He was already amazing.
"But it was too expensive for Brighton. It was 3 million euros at that time!
"When I was in Brighton, I went to see Van Dijk in Groningen …
… But it was 3 million euros which was too much! "
Gus Poyet reveals #BHAFC could have signed @VirgilvDijk but the club could not find the funds!
What a signature it would have been for the Seagulls! ? pic.twitter.com/cPRyRo3ICy
– talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 1, 2019
Instead, he joined Celtic for the same fare, paving the way for his eventual move to Anfield where he quickly became a Kop hero.
Van Dijk had an amazing impact on Liverpool's last four and was one of the main reasons they found themselves facing Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The Reds have conceded only 20 goals in the Premier League this season, the lowest number of the team among the best.
And he hopes he can help Liverpool to keep another blank spot when they face Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal on Wednesday night – with live commentary from SPORT talkSPORT at Camp Nou.
[ad_2]
Source link
