Arsenal: Out of touch Virgil van Dijk rumours persist

Arsenal are again being linked with a move for Virgil van Dijk, this time a £45 million bid being rumoured. The reports, though, lack a foundation in the truth and the context, but continue to persist nevertheless.

Transfer rumours are ridiculous. I feel that is a statement that we can all get behind. Given the ever-demanding, ever-baying nature of modern day football fans, media companies are often forced, or at least forced by their managers, hooked on viewing figures for that day, to conjure up some intriguing, mysterious rumour that will hook fans in. Given that Arsenal fans are especially frustrated with their club’s inactivity and are willing to jump any news that is remotely positive, it is often them that must pay the price for a bombardment of tosh.

As someone who has the great pleasure of working in the football media industry, for me, this is the worst time of the season. There is no actual football to watch and the only thing worth noting is which star player inadvertently followed Mesut Ozil on Instagram and is therefore definitely joining Arsenal.

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Unfortunately, that is the nature of the times, and no rumour epitomises my frustration with the transfer window as much as Virgil van Dijk. The Southampton defender was the subject of interest from Liverpool earlier in the summer, only for the move to fall through because the Saints reported the Merseyside club to the Premier League regarding fears that their star defender had been ‘tapped up’.

In the aftermath of the collapsed move, van Dijk has been incessantly linked with a move to the Emirates, with Arsene Wenger, apparently, wanting to bolster his defensive options. After weeks of speculation and conjecture, the most recent reports suggest that Wenger is readying a £45 million offer.

What a load of tosh!! First and foremost, Arsenal do not need, and it is sensible to assume that Wenger does not want another centre-half. With the addition of Shkodran Mustafi, the emergence of Rob Holding and the return of Per Mertesacker and Calum Chambers, not to mention the ever-present reliability of Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel Paulista, another body is simply not needed.

In addition, around the same time that these reports surfaced, rumours also suggested that Liverpool are not yet out the running to sign van Dijk and prepared to pay as much as £60 million. They are far more believable reports and counter the logic of Arsenal tabling just a £45 million bid.

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Ultimately, the whole van Dijk circus is simply a little ridiculous. There is very little clarity or certainty, it is difficult to know what to believe and I have doubts over whether these reports are founded on reliable sources or simply conjured up in a reporter’s mind. And yet, the van Dijk reports persist, even as they continue to challenge logic