Almost Signing Van Dijk: A Football Comedy…
In a plot twist worthy of a footballing sitcom, former West Brom mastermind Tony Pulis almost nabbed the heroic Dutchman, Virgil van Dijk, before he danced his way to Liverpool. While Van Dijk was perfecting his art of deterrence at Celtic, Pulis had an epiphany at West Brom, pondering if the tall defender with more blocks than a Lego factory was worth signing. Alas, the club felt like they already had enough defensive superstar vibes with their brick wall counterparts like Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley, making them skip on signing Van Dijk like a cautious midfielder avoiding a risky pass.
Fast forward a few years, Van Dijk grew into football’s equivalent of a hulking guardian knight, becoming Liverpool’s £75 million colossus and turning into a defensive deity. Meanwhile, Pulis sits back, sipping his tactical tea, contemplating the “What-Ifs” as he watches Van Dijk tower over Premier League strikers like a skyscraper marooned in a forest of bungalows. It’s almost like giving up chocolate only to find out it’s suddenly the healthiest snack around!
Joining the almost-signed-Van-Dijk club is ex-Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock, who was told the Dutch dynamo was as fast as a tortoise on a treadmill. Palace apparently preferred him at Southampton due to his ‘lack of speed,’ missing the memo on his “future football legend” status. Poor Warnock was left barking at imaginary defenders, missing his shot at hauling in what could’ve been his team’s majestic K-9 guardian. Liverpool gleefully became the beneficiaries of this oversight, proving that sometimes, one man’s misjudgment is another club’s treasure chest!
