Virgil van Dijk has been astounding ever since he made the move to Liverpool from Southampton.

The £75m the Reds paid for the 28-year-old in 2018 was a world-record fee for a defender at the time, but he has proven to be worth every penny. Since he has arrived, the Anfield outfit have made it to two Champions League finals, winning one, and are also on their way to a first Premier League title in 30 years as they lead by 22 points. Last year, van Dijk finished second in the Ballon d’Or rankings, only behind Lionel Messi, such was his influence.

Of course, other clubs are going to be interested in his services given his quality, one of which is Serie A champions Juventus.

According to The Sun, the Old Lady are plotting a £150m summer bid for the Netherlands international.

He is very talented, but will be 29 in the summer, meaning he has just a few years left at the top.

Should Liverpool consider this bid? We asked FFC’s writers for their verdicts on the recent report.

Domagoj Kostanjsak

“Honestly, this seems like a big stretch for me personally. Juventus might’ve managed to get Cristiano Ronaldo but getting Virgil van Dijk seems highly unlikely at this stage. I don’t think Klopp would part with such a huge piece of his jigsaw or rather, he would be crazy to do so! Besides, why would van Dijk leave Liverpool – arguably still the best team in Europe – to join Juventus now? That transfer doesn’t really make much sense – this should be a hard pass by the Reds as losing VVD could be catastrophic, regardless of the money that could supposedly be on the table.”

Lewis Blain

“Liverpool are no longer the team they once were, so when multi-million pound offers come in for their star players, they should have no fear. And that’s exactly why they should laugh Juventus off with their attempts to clinch Virgil van Dijk. He’s won the Champions League with the club, and is on the verge of clinching their first-ever Premier League title – what else is there to do at Juve other than win the Serie A, a league plagued by tortoise-like players and play in the same team as a living legend in Cristiano Ronaldo? There’s no chance the Reds sell, no matter how much is offered.”

Charles Jones

“There’s no way that Liverpool should even consider accepting £150m for Virgil van Dijk. The Reds are the best team in the world at the moment, and the Dutchman is their star player, winning the PFA Player of the Year award last term. Of course, £150m is a lot of money, and it could be reinvested, but who on earth would they sign? Van Dijk is by far and away the best centre-back in the world at the moment, just look at the man who partnered him in the UEFA Team of the Year as a sign of how few quality defenders there are in the world at the moment. Matthijs De Ligt was named alongside van Dijk in that team, and with all due respect to him, he spent most of the year playing in the Eredivisie, a division which isn’t up to scratch with the top league’s in Europe.”

Jonathan Radcliffe

“It is hard to imagine Liverpool contemplating parting ways with the Netherlands international. He is such a key member of this Reds side – it is very unlikely they would have had this recent success without the 28-year-old. They would be mad to let him go, but not just because he is a wonderful player himself, but also the influence he could have on Joe Gomez. The England international, at 23 years of age, is still learning his trade, and there are few better players to learn from than van Dijk. The latter is 28 – he won’t be around forever – and when he does hang up his boots or leave for pastures new, Gomez will be ready to step into his shoes as the leader of the back four. For that reason and so many others, it would be a monumental mistake to let him leave, no matter the eye-catching fee offered.”

In a column for Sky Sports, former Arsenal man Paul Merson has delivered a ringing endorsement of Mikel Arteta’s first few weeks in charge.

What did he say?

The Spaniard took over from Unai Emery on a permanent basis as head coach, and despite only registering one win in the Premier League, Merson has insisted there are plenty of positives.

He said: “It was always going to be a hard job for Emery. The defence wasn’t good from the word go. It’s all about clean sheets. We’ve seen with Mikel Arteta, the moment the window opened he brought in two defenders. But I found it hard watching Arsenal under Emery. I thought it was soft, like watching Arsene Wenger’s teams, and at least now they’re not getting dominated and bullied by Burnley.

Watch Arsenal Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

“Against Leeds they got battered in the FA Cup in the first half, Arteta gets them in and says what he wants and they absolutely dominate the second half and could’ve won by a lot of goals – that tells me something, when managers can turn things around like he did and players listen.

“Arteta’s not going to come in and tell Ozil how to play a pass, but Arsenal have been the worst team in the Premier League without the ball over the last 10 years and that’s what he’s trying to change.”

Inspiration

As Merson pinpoints, the FA Cup clash against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds certainly showed a major sign of the players responding to Arteta’s voice.

As per Sofascore, in the first-half, the Whites racked up an incredible 15 shots on goal, registering 64% of the possession. On the other hand, the Gunners could only muster three attempts. But following the break, the north London side appeared to flick on the switch and go up several gears. They had 13 total shots in the second period, and closed the possession gap to just 2%.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Arsenal Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Arteta’s team talk will surely have been a contributing factor in how massive the change in performance was against Leeds. And if he has that power and aura to inspire such a reaction in his players, then it bodes well for his time in charge at the Emirates.

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are fuming with this star’s comments. 

There’s been plenty to complain about at Leeds United in recent weeks.Ahead of this weekend’s clash with Bristol City, the Whites had won just two of their last 11 league games and, understandably, that’s caused a bit of unrest amongst the fanbase.Indeed, supporters seem to be complaining about one thing or another on Twitter every day, whether that be a performance on the pitch or an FA ruling, the Elland Road faithful quite simply aren’t happy at the moment.One thing that the fanbase have recently complained about is the fact that Ian Poveda wasn’t in the matchday squad on Tuesday against Brentford.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

We’re yet to see the 20-year-old make his Leeds debut, and the gaffer gave an explanation as to why he was on the bench in his press conference on Thursday.

The problem is that this explanation quite simply doesn’t add up.

Against Brentford Leeds’ bench consisted of a backup goalkeeper, three defenders, Barry Douglas, Gaetano Berardi and Ezgjan Alioski, one midfielder, Jamie Shackleton, one striker, Jean-Kevin Augustin, and a winger in the shape of Jordan Stevens.

We can only assume, then, that he was referencing Alioski as a midfielder and Stevens as a striker.

Even if Bielsa did want his bench lined up in that order, why is there no space for Poveda within that?

By all accounts, Bielsa rates the youngster, and he’s been mightily impressive in training with Stuart Dallas saying that he’s settled into the group quicker than any player has done before and that he was incredible during Bielsa’s famed ‘murderball’ session.

If a player is doing that well in training and isn’t getting a spot on the bench then something isn’t right.

Bielsa’s treatment of Poveda here sends out completely the wrong message to any youngsters on the verge of breaking into the first team as it implies that training performances don’t matter all that much.

It’s demotivating not only for Poveda, but for several other U23 players who will be working their socks off at Thorp Arch in an attempt to break into Bielsa’s plans.

In other news, Leeds would have benefitted massively if the FA did one thing.

Leeds United continued their rich vein of form on Wednesday evening, making it three wins from three with a victory at the Riverside Stadium.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side defeated Middlesbrough 1-0, an all too frequent scoreline as of late.

In the aftermath of the match, The Athletic’s Phil Hay tweeted out the latest injury news surrounding midfielder Kalvin Phillips and January addition Jean-Kevin Augustin as they were both absent from the squad entirely.

And fans are far from pleased with the update as Hay claims the young forward will again miss another game while their anchorman is a doubt too.

Here’s what has been said…

One supporter sarcastically called the news “wonderful” while another couldn’t understand why both players face even more time out on the sidelines.

Plenty took the opportunity to take a swipe at Augustin as he’s only been able to feature for a total of 48 minutes since his arrival last month.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The decision to sign him was lambasted as a “big waste” as a further member of the Whites faithful pondered why they invested in him.

There was also comment on Phillips, who has been an integral part of Leeds’ success in recent times.

Some were desperate to see the Englishman return as soon as possible while one fan asked Hay to give his legs a massage.

Although, another believed it was best to rest him until he was fully fit.

Leeds’ business in January was once again brought to light with others describing it as “a waste” while one fan at Elland Road sarcastically thanked director of football Victor Orta for ‘improving’ the side in the transfer window.

Call yourself a Leeds expert? How much did each of these January signings cost?

And in other news, Leeds fans hammer this GHOST performance after Boro win…

Mark Noble has written himself into West Ham history as a hero.

The midfielder has now made 494 appearances for the Hammers over 16 years, scoring 60 goals and providing 59 assists along the way. He is one of the very few one-club players left in the Premier League, remaining with the Irons as they have found themselves between the top flight and the Championship.

Even now, he is one of the mainstays in the London outfit’s side, having made 25 appearances already as captain for the Hammers this term. His experience in the dressing room, at least, is something that could help the Irons as they look to pull away from the relegation zone.

Watch West Ham United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, in the long-term, it may be worth David Moyes looking for something new – whilst West Ham fans may not want to admit it, he is on a downward spiral. This term, he has averaged the worst SofaScore rating of the last three campaigns, managing just 6.79 compared to 6.84 in 2018/19 and 6.89 in 2017/18.

On top of that, he has also managed a lower ratio of duels won – two seasons ago, he won 52%, and now he has managed just 49%, whilst his pass accuracy of 82% this season is lower than the 84% he had 24 months earlier.

Of course, it is far too early to say that Noble should be forgotten about or moved on, but it may be worth Moyes trying to freshen things up a little – after all, some changes wouldn’t go amiss considering their lowly 16th place in the table, something that has likely been a catalyst of Noble’s own poor form.

The former Everton boss also now has options at his disposal – Tomas Soucek should soon return from injury, for example, and Declan Rice has nailed down his spot in the middle of the park as well. In that time he’s also become an established England international.

Now aged 32, the midfielder does not have too many years left at the top table. Moyes should already be looking around for his potential successor.

Elsewhere, West Ham eye this ace with 21 goals last season.

James Tavernier’s Rangers career is well and truly on the rocks.

The Gers skipper was slapped with a colossal amount of criticism after his error against Hearts in the Scottish Cup and then he poked the bees nest even further with comments a week afterwards.

Speaking in the matchday programme, the right-back claimed the side didn’t have the mental capabilities required to perform when the pressure was on.

For a club looking to end Celtic’s remarkable run of eight straight SPFL titles, it wasn’t what supporters or Steven Gerrard probably want to hear.

Gerrard’s men are now 13 points behind the Hoops and are staring down the barrel of a woeful defensive record.

The captain is chief suspect but so is Connor Goldson whose error against Hamilton cost them the match, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against one of the teams down the bottom of the division.

Tavernier has been linked with a move away in the past and recent reports suggest the hierarchy at the club have slashed their potential asking price in half.

He has rarely been a picture of consistency but fortunately for Rangers, they have a potential long-term successor staring them in the face.

Sent out on loan to Portsmouth at the start of the season, Ross McCrorie is the man in question.

The 21-year-old has been in solid form for Pompey throughout 2019/20, going on to start eight matches at right-back and three in defensive midfield. However, it’s in defence where he’s really shone.

Dealing with the livewire of Gabriel Martinelli when they faced Arsenal in the FA Cup, he won two tackles, two aerial duels and three interceptions, via WhoScored.

A football legend: Can you get over 80% on this Gazza quiz? Find out now…

It showed a player not only willing to get stuck in but also one who has a level head and impressive concentration levels. For a Rangers side who lack basic focus in defence, that would come in handy for Gerrard if he’s still in Glasgow next season.

McCrorie has the ability to do well in the final third too. So far this term, he’s been fouled 1.4 times per game and registered three assists in League One.

If Tavernier does end up walking out of Ibrox once the season is up there’d be far worse ideas than handing McCrorie a regular starting berth.

Meanwhile, one Rangers youngster should be RUNNING SCARED after recent developments…

Leeds United are on the cusp of pulling off something quite remarkable – a return to the top-flight for the first time in 16 years, so quite rightly their attention has turned to the summer.

Getting recruitment right will be absolutely key to their success, irrespective of the division they find themselves in.

According to the Daily Mail, the west Yorkshire outfit are one of several clubs taking a keen interest in West Ham midfielder Josh Cullen, who has been impressing out on loan for Charlton Athletic this season.

They’ll have to battle the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City and Championship title rivals West Brom for his signature while the Hammers could explore the option on his current contract.

So, would this be a wise move for Marcelo Bielsa to make? Our writers have given their verdicts on the matter, here’s what they have said…

Billy Meyers

“Josh Cullen has shone for Charlton in recent seasons, across both League One and the Championship. 

“He is already a full Republic of Ireland international and the Addicks supporters on Twitter have called for his permanent arrival in the past. If anyone has earned their passage into the Premier League, or the upper echelons of the second tier, then it is Cullen – Orta would be clever to make this move. Of course, Kalvin Phillips is the star midfielder at Elland Road, but Cullen would help provide added competition to the Englishman, and also much-needed depth – centre-back Ben White started Leeds’ last game against Huddersfield in midfield. 

“Also, with his energy, Cullen would make Phillips’ life easier in the middle of the park, while his passing ability would keep things ticking over nicely for Bielsa – the West Ham loanee has a pass accuracy of 83.2% this season.”

Matt Dawson

“A move for Cullen would be yet another Victor Orta disasterclass. The Director of Football has had his fair share in the last 12 months, namely Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin who have both now struggled for football under Marcelo Bielsa. The fact of the matter is that Leeds’ midfield is already locked down.

“Kalvin Phillips is the star turn while Mateusz Klich has never missed a league match under the current management. As for Pablo Hernandez, he’s won their Player of the Season two years in a row. With Jamie Shackleton, Mateusz Bogusz, Robbie Gotts and Alfie McCalmont among their ranks too, it would be a baffling decision to sign the West Ham midfielder.”

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Danny Lewis

“Josh Cullen should have been given a chance at West Ham United by now, so if Leeds United were able to sign him, it would see them punish their mistake. Charlton Athletic currently sit in the relegation zone, but he has still shone, but this should be no surprise, as he was the man who put the cross in for their play-off final winner last season. Considering he would be available to join for free, as his contract is expiring in the summer, this would be an absolute no-brainer.”

Lewis Blain

“Leeds’ potential summer activity makes for an interesting conundrum because they will no doubt need players that can step up to the demands of the Premier League should they continue to keep this form up and earn that elusive return to the top-flight.

“A move for Josh Cullen on this basis would make very little sense as he’s hugely unproven at the elite level having only featured in three matches. As Villa are quickly finding out, the step-up isn’t as easy as it looks, so Bielsa could do with signing players who can cut the mustard at this level.

“On the contrary, they could sign him and see how he performs over the summer – there’s always a chance to loan him out back to the Championship if need be, so it wouldn’t be an absolute disaster if they followed through on these rumours.”

Calling all EFL experts: Can you get full marks on this stadiums quiz?

While in other news, Phil Hay plays down Leeds chance of permanent deal for star loanee…

When Jose Mourinho first arrived in English football in the mid-2000s, the Premier League was being dominated by teams who were still using the more conventional 4-4-2. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester United were at the top of the tree and sticking to the tried-and-trusted set-up.

But Mourinho’s emergence on the scene heralded a new wave of tactical blueprints, with the Portuguese man favouring a 4-3-3. In fact, speaking to Zonal Marking, the current Tottenham boss delivered a damning verdict on why the old-school 4-4-2 just wouldn’t stand a chance against his approach.

He said: “Look, if I have a triangle in midfield—Claude Makelele behind and two others just in front—I will always have an advantage against a pure 4-4-2 where the central midfielders are side by side.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

“That’s because I will always have an extra man. It starts with Makelele, who is between the lines. If nobody comes to him he can see the whole pitch and has time. If he gets closed down it means one of the two other central midfielders is open. There is nothing a pure 4-4-2 can do to stop things.”

His early domestic success of winning Premier League titles and multiple cups certainly vindicated his thinking.

But with Spurs struggling at the moment – prior to football being postponed they were seven points off the top four – and reports of a sensational swoop for Erling Haaland in the pipeline, Mourinho could come full circle to really bring the best out of the Lilywhites.

Landing the £72m-rated Borussia Dortmund star would give the north London side two bona-fide strikers (if Kane stays), and there surely wouldn’t be any talk of either one of them being on the bench. As such, Mourinho could line up with a formation with a pair of centre-forwards who feed off each other.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Spurs discussion going on in the Vital Tottenham Forum! Click here to get involved!

Haaland’s time at RB Salzburg showed that he could do exactly that too. His former side played a version of a two-striker set-up, and the most goal involvements the Norway international had, was with his fellow strike partner in crime, Hee-chan Hwang. In the 17 matches that they were on the pitch together, they had 11 joint goal participations.

At Spurs, it wouldn’t have to be a case of Kane and Haaland getting in each other’s way and not being able to form an understanding. The former has already shown particularly in the last couple of seasons that he is more than capable of dropping deep and creating chances for others as well as finishing them himself.

As per Whoscored, the England international has averaged at least one key pass per game in four out of his five last seasons in the Premier League. With Haaland alongside him, Kane could drop into the number ten role at times and play off him.

Mourinho may have changed the game in terms of tactics when he first arrived. But if Spurs do sign Haaland, then it is surely time for him to revert back to way things were at the beginning.

Meanwhile, Spurs can fill their Paul Mitchell gap by hiring this man.

When David Bentley joined Tottenham back in the summer of 2008 for a reported initial fee of £15m, the midfielder himself expressed a sense of excitement at what the club could hope to achieve.

He said: “We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to. You’ve seen what Juande Ramos did last year; the fitness and level of play has risen and I want to be part of that, hopefully we’ll keep progressing and doing well. It’s all there for us – if we’re all up for it it’s quite possible.”

Such was the confidence in what Bentley could bring to the table, that they confirmed his contract would last for a remarkable six years. What perhaps made the move all the more shocking was the fact he had come through the youth system at Arsenal, something that the then 23-year-old dismissed would play a part.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

He added: “That’s in the past, I grew up through the Arsenal youth team but it’s not a problem for me, all my heart is at Tottenham and all my passion will be tunnelled into doing well for Tottenham.”

But fast forward a few seasons later however, and it was pretty clear that this was a transfer disaster for Daniel Levy. He played a total of just 62 games for the club, and scored a measly two Premier League goals altogether – to hammer home the point, he cost £7.5m per goal in the top-flight. Not the kind of record you would expect from someone who cost a decent chunk of money at the time.

Whose Line Is It Anyway: Roy Keane, Graeme Souness or Adrian Durham?

Getting knee surgery during the 2011/2012 campaign saw him miss 35 matches and a total of 178 days out of action, and it essentially symbolised how anonymous he was. His stand-out moment was no doubt his volley against Arsenal in the north London derby, but even that doesn’t detract from the fact he was a miserable signing both on the pitch and financially too.

What made matters even worse for Levy in particular was the fact Arsenal received a percentage of the deal to sign Bentley in the first place, thanks to the agreement they had made with Blackburn in 2006. All in all, Bentley’s Spurs career was a nightmare that the Lilywhites would rather forget.

Meanwhile, Spurs should be ruthless with this £22.5m-rated ace this summer. 

As is always the case with clubs outside of the Premier League, trying to keep a tight lid on the finances can prove to be a tricky customer to deal with.

English football’s top-flight of course is filled to the brim with money coming in, what with all the lucrative TV rights and broadcasting revenue.

But going beyond that, and teams really need to be a lot more shrewder with their business.

Best of the Decade: Top scorers & creators – Can you name them?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

According to the latest update from The Athletic’s Phil Hay, there are some early worrying signs from Leeds’ accounts for 2018/2019. The journalist claims that the “headline figures are an operating loss of £36m and an annual loss of £21m”.

And after hearing about the situation, Leeds fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the matter.

Some Leeds fans felt the figures explained the club’s activity in the summer transfer window last year, with one supporter claiming that the sales of the likes of Pontus Jansson and Kemar Roofe should hopefully register better numbers for the future.

Earning promotion to the Premier League is of course a big deal for matters on the pitch, but they are equally just as important off it.

Whilst fans no doubt are itching to see their team play against the best of the best week-in and week-out, those in the boardroom know the financial implications of dining at the top table.

And Hay’s latest report is just another reason why Leeds desperately need to have their return to the top-flight confirmed this season.

Meanwhile, Leeds should give this player a chance instead of signing Couto.