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Gary Neville says ‘unbelievable’ player proved everyone wrong after signing for Liverpool

Charles Jones

Fri 25 April 2025 10:45, UK

Liverpool have a knack of making the right signings at the right time.

Indeed, the Reds know how to find a gem, and even when their signings don’t necessarily look great on the surface, they work out brilliantly.

Diogo Jota proved his doubters wrong after signing for Liverpool, while even Mohamed Salah was underestimated when he arrived at Anfield after a difficult spell at Chelsea.

Speaking on Stick to Football, Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane have been discussing Virgil van Dijk’s legacy at Liverpool, and how he was first viewed when he signed.

Liverpool paid a world-record £75m for Van Dijk, and, as Gary Neville notes, at the time, that fee was questioned.

However, Neville also noted that Van Dijk almost immediately justified his transfer fee, proving everyone wrong in the process.

• READ MORE: Some people inside Liverpool actually prefer £40m left-back over Milos Kerkez this summer

Virgil van Dijk proved everyone wrong after joining Liverpool

Neville and co spoke about Van Dijk and his arrival at Liverpool all those years ago.

The pundits all noted just how expensive Van Dijk was perceived to be at the time, but, ultimately, they all agreed that he’s proven his doubters wrong.

“How much did they pay for him?” Keane asked.

“Virgil, 70 odd, wasn’t it?” Wright said.

“75. It was massive,” Carragher said.

“You complained, you said it was a massive fee,” Neville said.

“It was a massive fee,” Carragher said.

“No, but it was unbelievable,” Neville said.

“Liverpool waited for it. Whoever had done that deal, remember when it kind of broke down before and then somebody from Liverpool kind of got that deal, that person’s the one who should be lauded,” Wright said.

“But Wrighty, no one saw that price. I mean, everyone at the time was like, ‘what the hell’ but then it was just…” Neville said.

“Yeah, but it didn’t take too many games for us to realise, wow.”

Virgil van Dijk’s record for Liverpool

To say Virgil van Dijk was a transformative signing for Liverpool would be an understatement.

Indeed, the Reds’ fortunes improved almost overnight after Van Dijk signed, and that’s not a coincidence.

Van Dijk’s record for Liverpool speaks for itself, the Reds have been nigh on unbeatable at times since his arrival.

Looking back, it’s incredible to think that this signing was ever questioned, but £75m on a Southampton defender was seen as a gamble, but it’s certainly a gamble that paid off.