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Virgil van Dijk has agreed with literally everyone on the planet that Liverpool need quality reinforcements to make it into the summer transfer window.
There’s no shame in suffering a Champions League exit at the hands of their recent European nemesis Real Madrid, but the way Jurgen Klopp’s side surrendered in two legs: a 5-2 defeat in followed by a 1-0 defeat at the Bernabeu – without much of a fight was worrying for a team with such good pedigree.
The contracts of half a dozen players are due to expire in the summer and, while the rejuvenation of the forward line has already begun with the signings of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo over the past 10 months, there is much work to be done elsewhere.
The midfield is in desperate need of an overhaul Borussia Dortmund’s England international Jude Bellingham remains their top priority – while the defense is also likely to require attention in the coming window or the next.
“Obviously the players will leave. Obviously it was announced so we need, if we want to be where we’ve been for the last five years, we need quality imports, especially with those players leaving” defender Van Dijk said.
“I think it’s quite obvious, but everyone knows it’s going to be very difficult.
“It will be very difficult to find the right players but the club has to do its job in this case.
“We still have many games to play for us and we want to be in the Champions League. I think it will also help attract the best players in the world. Not always, but it will definitely help.
Liverpool, however, will have to wait to erase the disappointment of their European release.
The international break, having been knocked out of the FA Cup, means they won’t play again until next month, when they make the trip to long-serving Premier League rivals Manchester City.
Compressed within a few days they must also go to Chelsea before hosting leaders Arsenal.
“It’s going to be very defining and it’s something we all know,” Van Dijk said of the upcoming games.
“It’s been a season where we can’t find the consistency we’ve had in recent years, but the only way to recover it is to recover it game after game.
“It sounds very simple but it’s the hardest part of football and the hardest part of being a footballer is staying consistent.
We will give absolutely everything because I want to play in the Champions League, we all want to play in the Champions League. The fans want to play in the Champions League.
“We are the players on the pitch, we have to perform and we have to show it but we also need our fans.
“They stayed with us through the good times and we probably need them even more right now. We will fight and we will also see good results”.
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