As soon as the 2018 January transfer window opened Virgil van Dijk was off on his toes out of Southampton to Liverpool. But, does a Premier League record £70m defender transfer fee really matter, and does anyone really care?
The Dutchman might be the most expensive but if one looks for value for money then I have to say City’s Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and John Stones are head and shoulders above Jürgen Klopp’s lot.
Value for money – make your mind up
Virgil van Dijk – 26-years-old
Neil McGuinness, senior scout at Celtic when Van Dijk was signed in 2013, called him ‘everything you would want if you could create a profile of the ideal central defender’, praising him as a ‘very smooth ball-playing defender’ who possesses aerial prowess, skills from dead ball situations, and ‘strong leadership qualities’.
Behind the scenes 😁✍🏽 @LFC pic.twitter.com/dQac0j6ZWT
? Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) January 6, 2018
Benjamin Mendy – 23-years-old
Two months after joining City (24 July 2017) Benjamin suffered a anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee following a rash challenge against Crystal Palace forward Andros Townsend.
The France international is expected to be fit before the end of the Premier League season.
Read @benmendy23‘s latest column for @TimesSport, where he discusses cycling in the sauna, singing with @KMbappe and his hopes for the World Cup https://t.co/NAsjEvEEFs #MCFC #SharkTeam pic.twitter.com/j1Na4AFgrt
? Times Sport (@TimesSport) January 13, 2018
Home debut post-match interview – City 5-0 Liverpool
Kyle Walker – 27-years-old
Kyle said in front the of the cameras earlier this week that he was nervous about joining up with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City following last summer’s move from Tottenham Hotspur.
The following clip was recorded in November 2017.
Happy New Year everyone! 2017 was an amazing year for me filled with so many great memories! pic.twitter.com/Wu9L9Hfg8z
? Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) January 1, 2018
John Stones – 23-years-old
With 22 senior England caps under his belt John Stones was a snip at £47.5m when in August 2016 John moved from Everton.
John has a bright Manchester City future.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The Premier League’s Most Expensive Defenders
As I said in the beginning, in my opinion Manchester City may have spent few bob on defenders, but when it comes to value for money don’t you think we are miles ahead of the rest.