Van Dijk: I Joined Liverpool For Title Challenge

By Joshua Walters

Virgil van Dijk has disclosed the reason he left Southampton for Liverpool, saying that he wanted a club that challenges for trophies.

The center-back says it feels great to be playing for a side in contention for the Premier League and also doing well in the Champions League.

Van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018 for a world record fee of £75 million, and was key to the Reds’ run to the finals of the Champions League which ended in a 3-1 defeat in the hands of Real Madrid.

The Dutch defender has also been the barrier at Liverpool rear as the Anfield club lead the 2018/19 Premier League table with eight games to go despite having a close chase by defending champions Manchester City.

"It's definitely what I wanted. He told League Productions.

"You hope to be in this kind of position - challenging for the Premier League title, being as far as we are in the Champions League now and reaching the final last season.

"I think the ultimate thing would be winning something with Liverpool and we still have any chance to win it. So let's just go for it."

"The most important thing is to enjoy it. We have to give it our all and make sure we have no regrets at the end of it."

Van Dijk has guarded Liverpool to 17 clean sheets in the league, but said it took the collective efforts of the team to get that far.

"In my position when things are going well it's pretty easy to say that I'm sort of the guy that fixes everything," he said.

"But if things are going bad then I'm the one that gets all the blame. In the end, we all do it together. If you look at the way we play, defend and attack, it starts up front. The amount of work they do is unbelievable.

"In the back as well, obviously Alisson has come in, but look at Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Robbo [Robertson] has been outstanding. Dejan [Lovren], Joel [Matip] and obviously Joe [Gomez] before he got injured was amazing. I think everyone has played their part in it.

"It's not about one player. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm feeling pretty good."