Sky debuted a new Premier League show to beef up their new channel. It's entitled The Debate, and will air every weeknight for the rest of the season. It consists of a presenter and two of Sky's pundits, and they run through a series of talking points. Last night's show was presented by David Jones, who sat between Jamies Carragher and Redknapp.
The show began with Carragher discussing the Virgil Van Dijk situation. The Southampton defender yesterday handed in a transfer request, in what is presumably a major boost to Liverpool's hopes of landing him. Liverpool themselves are worried that they are facing a similar situation to Southampton: while Phillippe Coutinho has not agitated for the move in the way that Van Dijk has (yet, anyhow) he is also wanted by another club.
On one hand, Liverpool need to sell Van Dijk the 'this is a bigger job' shtick, but on the other hand they have to hope Barcelona don't do the same with Coutinho.
Carragher nailed the whole thing.
Jamie Carragher on Van Dijk
There was talk that he refused to train...players come and go, and you're never happy when it's your own club. He's put in a transfer request, and that happens. He's denied that he has refused to train, or play, and I hope that's the case. It's somewhere you should never go as a player. It's wrong. I also think that if you are hoping to move, what about your fitness levels?
The frustration for Southampton, and this is for every club except possibly Real Madrid and Barcelona...there is a football chain. If you're Southampton, and you have a player wanted by Liverpool, Chelsea or Manchester City, then he'll want to go. There's nothing wrong with that. That's football.
Same with Liverpool and Phillippe Coutinho today. I don't think he's going to go, but he will want to go. Who wouldn't want to go to Barcelona? There are ways of going about it, and I'm sure that either this summer or next summer, Phillippe Coutinho will want to wear that Barcelona shirt. There's nothing wrong with that, that's football.
Unfortunately for Southampton, that is the football chain. Liverpool are above Southampton, and Liverpool have the same problem if it's Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Jamie Redknapp added that it is "an absolute certainty" that Van Dijk will leave Southampton, while Carragher added that Southampton should be delighted that he signed a six-year contract just over a year ago, as it guarantees Southampton a stack of money in return for their top defender.
In terms of where he is going:
Chelsea have been a lot more successful than Liverpool over the last ten years. They're champions, Jamie's just mentioned [the pull of London], and at the moment, Chelsea are a better team no doubt about it.
At the moment, if I were him, I'd look at how Chelsea set up, and that back three. It looks like you;d have him as the middle man. But David Luiz was so good in that position last season, and I can't se either of them playing as the wide centre-back.
If you could go to Liverpool and be the man who took Liverpool back to winning trophies, can he be the one who says 'okay, Chelsea win trophies every year no matter who the manager is, can I be part of somthing that beigns with Jurgen Klopp?'
