Former West Brom manager Tony Pulis has revealed just how close the club came to signing Virgil van Dijk before his rise to stardom at Liverpool.
During his time in charge at The Hawthorns between 2015 and 2017, Pulis confirmed that West Brom had made enquiries about the Dutch defender while he was still an emerging talent.
According to Pulis, a move was seriously considered after the club allegedly scouted the now Liverpool captain while he was at Celtic, but the West Midlands club ultimately decided against pursuing the transfer, feeling confident in their existing defensive lineup at the time.
Pulis told OLBG: “How close were we to signing Virgil van Dijk? Very close. I think we inquired about him and everything else, but we had some really, really good center-halves there as well.
“Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley was fantastic, Jonny Evans, Craig Dawson, people of that ilk were very, very good for us at that level. But yeah, we did fancy Virgil.”
When Tony Pulis arrived at West Brom, interest was already growing in Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk, who would soon move to Southampton in 2015.
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Just a few years later, the towering 6ft 4in centre-back made a record-breaking £75 million ($100m) switch to Liverpool, where he quickly established himself as one of the finest defenders of his generation.
For West Brom, who had the chance to secure his signature early, it now stands as a clear case of what might have been.
Pulis is not the only manager to speak out on almost signing Van Dijk. Former Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock reflected on passing up the chance to sign Virgil van Dijk for just £5 million ($6.6M) in 2014.
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Returning to Selhurst Park for a second stint after Pulis’s departure, Warnock and his scouting team opted against the move—a decision that may have changed the club’s fortunes. Warnock’s reign lasted only four months
Warnock said: “The one that got away from me was Virgil van Dijk. I got offered him when I was at Crystal Palace for £5million. But my chief scout said he was too slow and he ended up at Southampton instead. It’s a shame because anything he may lack in pace, he makes up for ten-fold in his ability to read the game.”
Liverpool.com says: Both Tony Pulis and Neil Warnock missing out on Virgil van Dijk highlights how even experienced managers can misjudge a player’s future impact.
In hindsight, passing on a defender who would become a generational talent seems a glaring oversight. Luckily they both did allowing Liverpool to swoop in!
