Is the sale of Virgil van Dijk the end of the world for Southampton?

Hour after hour, minute after minute, second after seconds. That is the rate Virgil van Dijk is being mentioned in the media this summer, be it about a completed move to Liverpool or a tea party round Klopp’s house.

He is undoubtedly hot property this year. Southampton have so far seemingly stood firm yet silent, on what you could describe as the current debacle.

It is all getting a bit tiresome now. The future of Virgil van Dijk does not define Southampton’s season, he doesn’t even define Southampton’s summer.

Don’t get me wrong, losing van Dijk is going to hurt us a lot. It would hurt any team in the world. For us Southampton fans, there is slightly more to this than the football, the relationship with fans of Liverpool has become vicious and uncomfortable.

Meaning if Virgil did end up moving to the red side of the Mersey, a lot of us would have to swallow our pride and hide under a shell for a few months.

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But for me, the entire situation around van Dijk, the tapping up, the constant bickering on social media with ‘@MediocreMilner’ accounts and fake journalists has almost made the transfer more about bragging rights than football.

VVD is at Southampton to play, to be a centre-back, to defend the goal and help the team and club become the best it can be. Now when, yes when, Virgil moves on, whomever it is to, he will continue to do the same for that club.

To believe he has some allegiance to Southampton is naivety at best, with the money at stake and the ease of a rapid decline in modern English football, contracts aren’t worth the paper they are written on. Saints cannot afford to have a 70k per week player worth £60m+ rotting in the reserves.

PAISLEY, SCOTLAND – JULY 01: Virgil Van Dijk of Celtic in action against Den Bosch during the Pre Season Friendly between Celtic and De Bosch at St Mirren Park on July 01, 2015 in Paisley, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/Getty Images) /

The fee, does it matter?

Southampton may receive the £75 million they desire for van Dijk, which this year is a huge sum. But next summer? If the current trend is to continue, that money will barely buy you a single Premier League quality player. You only have to look at the money touted for Gylfi Sigurdsson and Ross Barkley to see that.

The transfer fee touted is astronomic for the club, astronomic for a centre-back. But only a year ago £36 million was deemed as such for Sadio Mane.

Now we look back and feel aggrieved at getting only that for such a quality player. Fact is the fee does not really matter, not unless the club is to reinvest that money in this transfer window. Will we?

Of course not. That’s not ‘The Southampton Way’ – something I am starting to believe needs a massive revamp, if it even really exists.

Who he goes to? Does THAT matter?

The fan in me, says yes. Yes it does matter. After all the boasting and the taunting we have all received will make for a tough time if van Dijk ends up at Liverpool.

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Myself, along with most Southampton fans would probably prefer him to move abroad, to a Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Someone who isn’t going to threaten our eighth position in the league.

But does Les Reed really care where he ends up? Probably not. If he isn’t plying his trade at Southampton Reed & Co don’t have time to think about or care about him. Reed is likely to want the best deal for the club.

Now whilst the best deal for the club is undoubtedly Virgil staying put, the second best outcome is to get the biggest fee. Who pays that fee does not matter, what really matters is what happens on the pitch.

Many have gone in recent years and we haven’t disappeared back into the lows of League One like those down the M27.

I just want it to be over.

We are three weeks away from the start of the season, now I hope to see Virgil lead the team out against Swansea. I hope to see him lead the team out against Man City on 13th May.

I just want the entire dispute to be resolved. Normally no news is good news, but the silence from all parties is unnerving and unsettling, the new manager needs to gel the squad and team by 12th August. Having another Jose Fonte on the dressing room will not help at all.

Do I want van Dijk to go? No.

Am I going to care if he does go? Probably, until 3 PM on 12th August. Then my focus is entirely on the XI who don the shirt for the club I love.