Liverpool have effectively paid Virgil van Dijk £40 million to keep not only the world’s best defender for two more seasons – but also the glue that holds them together.
By the time Van Dijk’s new two-year contract was announced it was not a surprise to many that the Dutchman was staying at Liverpool.
What was perhaps surprising was the extent to which they backed their No. 4 to remain at the level he is at until at least 2027.
It was already known that Van Dijk was Liverpool’s second-highest earner, but it had been previously communicated that his salary was in the region of £200,000 per week – not the £385,000 per week reported on Thursday.
That should be of no concern, of course: the money in elite football is astonishing but for a player of his calibre that is now the going rate.
For Fenway Sports Group to pledge close to £900,000 per week to keep Van Dijk, 33, and Mohamed Salah, 32, for another two seasons should serve as a signal of their intentions for the summer ahead.
Building around the world’s best
Put short, Liverpool are now being backed to follow up this season’s Premier League title with ongoing success under Arne Slot, with a busy transfer window of spending to come.
Van Dijk and Salah, the two best players in the world in their positions, will remain the cornerstones of Slot’s side – and rightly so.
There is an undeniable aura around a man who stands at 6’5″ and broader than most footballers, and he commands respect from teammates and opponents alike.
Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez courted jibes after simply giving up in a one-on-one with Van Dijk during a Champions League clash at Anfield in 2022, but that is the effect his presence has on even the best around.
It is notable that Erling Haaland has never won a game when he has played against him, with only three goals in his eight clashes with Van Dijk while representing Salzburg, Man City and Norway.
But to centre the news of Van Dijk’s new contract to his on-field impact alone would do a disservice to everything he offers to Liverpool beyond those incredibly consistent world-class displays at the heart of their defence.
More than just a centre-half
While he only inherited the captaincy from Jordan Henderson in 2023, when the long-serving midfielder left through the back door for Saudi Arabia, Van Dijk has long been considered Liverpool’s leader.
It is a role he has embraced and it has come naturally, as his words on the club, the city and its people demonstrated after he put pen to paper.
“It was always Liverpool. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool,” he told LFCTV.
“There wasn’t any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family. I’m one of Liverpool.
“Someone called me the other day an adopted Scouser – I’m really proud to hear these things, it gives me a great feeling.”
This is not just lip service; Van Dijk means every word and he underlined that as he kissed the badge in front of the Kop after heading Liverpool closer to the Premier League in the last minute against West Ham.
He is one of few constants, both on and off the pitch.
Journalists reporting around this new contract have expressed how open he is in post-match interviews in the mixed zone, never shying away regardless of the result.
That is certainly in contrast to the hands-off approach of the player entrusted as his vice-captain, with Trent Alexander-Arnold avoiding impromptu exchanges with the media throughout what is widely expected to be his final season at Anfield.
When Alexander-Arnold was named vice-captain following the departure of Henderson and James Milner, it was considered to be the cementing of a succession plan akin to Sami Hyypia and Steven Gerrard under Gerard Houllier.
Van Dijk, the only Liverpool defender who has truly outshone Hyypia in the Premier League, would hold the armband until the local hero was deemed ready to fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming full-time captain.
Instead the qualities that made Gerrard such a perfect fit as captain are found in Van Dijk – a role model on and off the pitch and an example for all of his teammates.
Leading the new era
“I understand very well when people describe him as a leader,” Slot said of his countryman after four months in the job.
“Because before I worked with Virgil, I always said I no longer believe so much in the concept of a leader.”
As Slot continued: “Virgil, I think, is someone who constantly makes sure the boys are there and is the leader in coaching.
“He also gives a good example of how to stand on a training field and what you have to do in the gym. And also, for the other players, by constantly standing up for himself.”
If Liverpool had allowed Van Dijk to leave this summer they would have lost far more than the world’s best defender – it would have been near impossible to replace the impact he has at every level of the club.
There may be other leaders in the squad – among them Andy Robertson, whose form can no longer match his influence – but no player could replace the aura their current captain brings.
It would be an understatement to describe it as one less headache for Slot who, if he had lost Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Salah this summer, could have gone into a title defence with an all-new leadership group.
Put simply, Van Dijk is the embodiment of this new era of success at Liverpool. Losing him could have been fatal.
