Arsenal: Virgil van Dijk transfer suddenly much more likely

Arsenal’s defensive set-up is pretty damn stoic, but Virgil van Dijk may be worth the shake-up, as his transfer is suddenly looking somehow plausible.

I may never have dismissed a transfer rumor as quickly as I dismissed the idea of Virgil van Dijk coming to Arsenal. Not because I didn’t want him at the club – of course I want him at the club – but because Arsene Wenger doesn’t particularly like spending gobs of money on someone who was much cheaper two years ago when he passed on them.

Plus he is a defender. And aside from Shkodran Mustafi, Wenger does not spend big on defenders. It just isn’t his thing.

Add to that the fact that the Gunners had on staff seven solid center back options, all of whom have proven themselves capable in one way or another. And that doesn’t even include Krystian Bielik, who can’t be that far off.

It just all looked bad. Horribly unlikely.

But that is changing far quicker than we could have imagined. For starters, the urge to leave could not be clearer. Van Dijk has been so adamant that he wants to leave that he has been ordered to train alone by Southampton manager Mauricio Pelligrino because, as the coach puts it “psychologically he is not 100%,” (as quoted by BBC Sport).

That’ll tend to happen when you downright refuse to play for the club that you have a contract with.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

However, this still didn’t solve the fact that the Gunners simply do not need another center back. Not with seven on the team. Even with a back three, that gives them two separate rotations with one to spare.

But now, with Calum Chambers supposedly preparing to be sold, the need is getting more prevalent. We know Per Mertesacker is retiring next year which means that come next summer, the Gunners will be down to five proven center backs and a Laurent Koscielny who is inching closer to retirement himself.

That is a much more dicey situation, although not catastrophic, and to solve it now wouldn’t be the worst idea ever. Especially when considering that one of the Premier League’s best is forcing an exit.

I do not want to advocate for signing some who engages in a petulant act like refusing to play. I absolutely hate when players do that. To me it shows a blemish of character that isn’t going to be fixed by gratifying his wishes.

Next: 3 Reasons Thomas Lemar Transfer Has To Happen

So while I will stand stubbornly and say that I don’t want Virgil van Dijk simply because of his actions (I really, really wanted him at Arsenal before all this), I will say that it is looking all the more likely given recent events. And maybe I won’t complain if it does happen. Maybe.

Home/Arsenal Transfer Rumours