Virgil van Dijk: Brighton could have signed Liverpool star, but couldn’t afford the 3m fee, Gus Poyet tells talkSPORT
Gus Poyet has revealed to talkSPORT he could have signed Virgil van Dijk for just 3million when he was manager of Brighton.Only, the south coast club couldnt afford it!Van Dijk has proved to be worth every penny of the 75million Liverpool paid for him in January 2018, with the Netherlands international recently crowned the PFA Player of the Year.Van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders in the worldGETTY1
Van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders in the world
He arrived at Anfield from Southampton, who signed the commanding centre-back from Scottish champions Celtic in 2015 for 13m but it appears he may have arrived in England much earlier in his career had Brighton boasted a bigger budget.Then in the Championship, ex-Seagulls boss Gus Poyet travelled to the Netherlands to watch Van Dijk in action, and he liked what he saw. Speaking on Wednesdays Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, Poyet said: I went to see Van Dijk at Groningen when I was coach at Brighton.We went all the way up to Groningen to watch the game, and it was too easy for him. He was already incredible.“After ten minutes you could see that he was bigger than everyone, more powerful than everyone and so calm on the ball.“We watched the whole game and afterwards we talked to the chairman and we started getting in contact with the club and the agents, but he was too expensive for Brighton. He was 3million at that time!“Brighton had just come into the Championship, although a year later we spent 3m on a striker, Leonardo Ulloa, but for a defender at that time it was impossible.”Instead, he joined Celtic for the same fee, paving the way for his eventual move to Anfield where he has quickly become a Kop hero.Van Dijk has made a stunning impact on the Liverpool back-four and has been one of the key reasons why they are up there with Manchester City challenging for the Premier League title.The Reds have conceded just 20 goals in the Premier League this season the fewest of any team in the top flight.And he will be hoping to help Liverpool keep another clean sheet when they take on Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night with LIVE talkSPORT commentary from the Nou Camp.

Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe.

'It smells of Celtic' - Adrian Durham in amazing talkSPORT rant about 'embarrassing' Hoops "To be fair they had their phones out. I think they were just trying to get pictures, there
Adrian Durham calls Celtic captain Scott Brown embarassing



Tottenham's new stadium on January 13, 2019. And now the Daily Mail report that the stadium will not be completely finished by the end of the season, following numerous delays and technical issues that have occurred over the past few months.
Tottenham's new White Hart Lane stadium will NOT be finished

Cech is a keen drummer

Exclusive: George Graham on Unai Emery's first year and his sadness over the Europa League final. In the wake of Arsenal's Europa League final defeat to Chelsea in Baku, football.london spoke exclusively to former Gunners boss George Graham - the last manager to win a European trophy for the club
Unai Emery defends Arsenal's mentality as their away

Michail Antonio celebrates scoring against the Cottagers.

Chelsea vs Arsenal: Maurizio Sarri storms off in fury during Blues' training session following David Luiz and Gonzalo Higuain bust-up fpnews May 29, 2019 0 Maurizio Sarri has stormed out of Chelsea's training session just 24 hours before their Europa League final match against Arsenal.
Chelsea vs Arsenal: Maurizio Sarri storms off in fury during

The Brighton players look dejected after Eriksen’s late strike

Mohamed Salah appeared to be out cold during Liverpool's dramatic 3-2 victory over Newcastle on Saturday. Divock Origi nodded in the winner for Jurgen Klopp's side with just four minutes left to keep their hopes of a first Premier League title in 29 years alive.
Mohamed Salah's Liverpool injury update before Barcelona

Ipswich Town fans celebrate a goal in their derby clash with Norwich City

Newcastle United transfer news: Mike Ashley 'reluctant' to sign Salomon Rondon on permanent deal this summer The striker has scored nine goals for the Magpies this season while on loan from
Mike Ashley 'reluctant' to sign Salomon Rondon on permanent

Arjen Robben has spoken about the Chelsea player in an interview

Burnley manager Sean Dyche is confused by comments made by Jurgen Klopp after Liverpool won 3-1 at Turf Moor on Wednesday and wonders why the Reds boss glossed over Daniel Sturridge's "cheating
Jurgen Klopp and Sean Dyche Clash over Tough Tackling in

Grant Leadbitter, left, has sealed a dream move back to Middlesbrough

Tottenham booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion for a 4-0 aggregate win. Spurs had to withstand a
Dortmund 0-1 Tottenham (agg 0-4): Harry Kane sends Spurs

Ryan Babel jumped for joy after giving Fulham the lead against West Ham

Loyal The right-back made 333 appearances for City and won every major domestic honour during his nine-year spell at the Etihad Pablo Zabaleta hopes Manchester City retain their Premier League crown this season.
Charlton supporter protests could delay £200m Premier League

Tune in for live radio commentary from the King Power

Tottenham v Chelsea: Five of the best derby matches between London rivals ahead of their clash at Wembley. The two sides meet each other at Wembley in a rivalry that truly began all the way back
6 Classic Clashes Between Tottenham & Chelsea Ahead of

Wiltord was voted 33rd in an official list of the 50 greatest Arsenal players of all time

Harry Kane believes Champions League football is a must for Tottenham but insists the club need to lift the FA Cup to regard their season as a success. Kane made an earlier than expected return to
Manchester United move ahead of Liverpool, Tottenham and

Gnoukouri was once on the books at Inter Milan.

Sports Mole previews Saturday's all-English Champions League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, including predictions, teams news and head-to-head records. Both sides enjoyed
Liverpool v Cardiff City confirmed teams: Fabinho makes first

Assombalonga could move on deadline day

Dejan Lovren v Sergio Ramos: Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk says Real Madrid captain 'not his type' of centre-back The world's most expensive defender waded into the war of words his team
Virgil van Dijk joins Dejan Lovren's spat with Sergio Ramos

Matthijs de Ligt is a product of Ajax’s renowned academy

The Spurs boss is expected to give an update on various injured players, such as Dele Alli, Jan Vertonghen, Serge Aurier and Mousa Dembele. He will also talk about the title race with Liverpool and Manchester City and with the January transfer window fast approaching, talk is likely to turn towards new recruits or departures from Tottenham.
NewsNow: Spurs Injuries & Suspensions news