In what was perhaps the strangest transfer saga in the history of Southampton Football Club, they supposedly had the hottest property in English football on their hands but nobody actually made a bid.
For three months barely a day went by without mention of the imminent transfer of Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool were the most linked club and the biggest queue at Anfield was not supporters buying season tickets but ex players including club employees waiting in line to tell the media that they had heard that the deal was imminent/ close/nailed on(delete as appropriate)
But nothing happened, Liverpool dare not risk a bid as has been well documented and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City were not going to be pawns in their game.
This morning the Liverpool Echo confirmed this stating that despite their public apology and insistence that they were no longer interested in the player that Liverpool always remained keen to sign him, but could not do so unless they received the green light from Southampton either directly or indirectly by Saints agreeing a deal with the likes of Chelsea.
Of course this did not happen and not a single bid was received at St Mary's to test the clubs resolve.
Under intense pressure it is to the credit of Southampton Football Club that they remained firm and dignified, publicly they said little, every now and again they would speak to the press to state that Van Dijk was not for sale, but it was as if they were invisible, no one, media, Liverpool Football Club and especially its fans were not interested, they all thought little Southampton would roll over.
This was going on over the continent and it has to be said that this summer there seems to be a concerted effort by football agents to show they are in charge and that contracts mean nothing.
Ironically Liverpool were suffering the same issues with one of their own players, but they did not seem to get the irony.
Only on the afternoon of 31st August as the transfer deadline loomed and the frenzy on Liverpool message boards suddenly realised that Van Dijk was not on a private jet nor did the fact that he left Staplewood after training mean anything other than he was going home after training did the reality sink in.
But is this now the future of the game, has the last semblance of honesty and dignity finally gone from the game, are the agents going to take over and try and do what they want mainly in the pursuit of their clients getting the biggest pay day rather than what is best for their career.
For now at least Virgil Van Dijk remains a Saints player and he does so perhaps wondering how the hell this situation could have happened, the main reason that he probably is not a Liverpool player today is not the fault of Southampton Football Club who merely wanted him to honour a lucrative contract on which the ink was barely dry, but with his Agent Rob Janssen of the Wasserman group and Liverpool Football Club who conived to do things in such an underhand manner that even Caligula would have blushed.
What next for Van Dijk ? Will you welcome him back to the fold ?
Vote now in our online poll using the link below.
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/forum/208327/will-you-welcome