Mark Lawrenson warns Liverpool FC signing Virgil van Dijk about Anfield ‘pressure’
The Liverpool FC legend warns Virgil van Dijk that there will be a lot of pressure on his shoulders after his £75m move to Anfield goes through on 1 January
Mark Lawrenson has warned Virgil van Dijk that he will be under pressure to perform at Liverpool FC.
The Netherlands international agreed to a £75m move to the Anfield outfit from Southampton on Wednesday evening to finally land their long-term defensive target.
Van Dijk was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool FC in the summer but the Reds were forced to pull out of the race to sign the centre-half after Southampton threatened to report the Saints for an alleged tapping up.
Premier League leaders Manchester City and defending champions Chelsea were both touted with a potential interest in the 26-year-old ahead of the January transfer window to cast doubt on Liverpool FC’s chances of signing Van Dijk.
However, Jurgen Klopp made the former Celtic man the most expensive defender in the world after Liverpool FC spent a club-record fee on the Dutch centre-half.
The Merseyside outfit have conceded 23 times in 20 games in the Premier League this season to raise questions about Klopp’s back four.
Former Liverpool FC defender Lawrenson warned Van Dijk that he will be under pressure to be Klopp’s defensive saviour.
“There will be increased optimism from the Liverpool fans following the announcement that Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk is joining in January,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“There will be an awful lot of pressure on him because of the £75m fee but that is not his fault.
“Yes, it is far too much money, but unfortunately it is the going rate for a good player – it was a big deal when clubs spent £30m on a player two or three years ago, but now you have to pay that for even an average to decent Premier League player.”
Liverpool FC haven’t won the Premier League title but finished in second place in 2002, 2009 and 2014.
