Virgil van Dijk has welcomed January signings at Liverpool in a message to Jurgen Klopp.
After scoring in the Reds' hard-fought 3-1 win away to Aston Villa on Boxing Day, the Dutch defender made it clear that he wants the Anfield hierarchy to get their wallets out next month when the transfer window opens. After boss Klopp hinted that Liverpool were ready to repeat last January's "very positive" signing of Luis Diaz for £50million, Van Dijk came forward with his honest opinion.
"Hopefully we can welcome some new players at our football club," the 31-year-old told Viaplay post-match. "We will see. I think that quality is always welcome at Liverpool."
Van Dijk's comments are not only timely given the fact the window opens in less than a week, but also because the club is up for sale. Owners Fenway Sports Group confirmed in November that they were open to offers for a partial investment or full takeover, although a sale isn't imminent.
Klopp was recently probed on the Reds' transfer plans for January, to which he gave a promising response for fans. "Last season we had Luis Diaz come in (January) which was very helpful for that part of the season, everybody would see that the same way," the German noted. "But doing something again that is very positive - why not?"
With three successive Premier League wins in the bag and only one fixture to go in 2022, Klopp and co are heading towards the window feeling positive. The Liverpool manager was delighted with his team's display at Villa Park, as Van Dijk got on the scoresheet alongside star man Mohamed Salah and academy prodigy Stefan Bajcetic.
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"It was a top performance in a difficult game. I think we played exceptionally in the first half," Klopp told Amazon Prime. "Villa had their moments but we were really good. I liked what I saw. We told the boys at half-time where we could do better and the only problem was in the second half we missed the last step all of a sudden.
"Villa were pushing hard, in a home game that's normal, we knew that would happen, and you have to get through those periods. We could have scored the third goal much earlier but it's fine, and I loved the situation around the third goal."
The Reds end the calendar year by welcoming Leicester City to Merseyside, with Liverpool sat in sixth place. Klopp's side can't make it into the top four before the beginning of 2023 but are looking stronger by the game, despite a 44-day gap between their last two Premier League matches. If the Anfield chiefs do indeed splash their cash, their side could be a force to be reckoned with once again.
