A Turkish coach has incredibly stated that former Tottenham Hotspur defender Davinson Sanchez is superior to Liverpool hero Virgil van Dijk.
Sanchez left Tottenham in September 2023 when Turkish giants Galatasaray paid £7.9million (€9.5m / US$10.6m) for his services. The centre-back has since made 37 appearances for Galatasaray in all competitions, with five of those outings coming this season.
Sanchez has established himself as an important player for Galatasaray by putting in a host of solid performances, and this has led to stunning praise from Servet Cetin, who represented Galatasaray over 100 times during his playing days and was most recently in charge of fellow Turkish outfit Sivasspor.
In an interview with Ajansspor, Cetin tried to justify why Sanchez is better than Van Dijk, despite the latter being regarded as one of the best defenders of all time.
“Sanchez is a better centre-back than [Van] Dijk,” he claimed.
“In England, centre-backs play locally, they do not disturb their positions. They don’t get into the ranks of the right-back or left-back. They always take a position in the centre. They usually play heavy. Because they are physically good, they intercept the ball in the centre.
“But they falter when they have to open up. Van Dijk had a very difficult time against Baris Alper Yılmaz in the Turkey vs Netherlands national [team] match.
“Sanchez, on the other hand, has a one-on-one game. He has pace, plays in a wider area and doesn’t miss men. He does a much more difficult job. He gets off the ball very well. Sanchez is a much better stopper than van Dijk.
“Maybe people will say come off it, but it doesn’t matter if it’s Liverpool. For example, Sami Hyypia came to Turkey and was not liked. So, Sanchez is better than Van Dijk and many other centre-backs in the Premier League.”
Sanchez, Van Dijk claim is absurd
Tottenham fans will be surprised about this claim, as Sanchez failed to live up to expectations after moving to North London in a £42m deal in August 2017, a club record at the time.
It is clear that the Colombia star has improved since leaving England and has started to show the form which prompted Spurs to originally sign him. Sanchez has even won the Super Lig title and Turkish Super Cup with his current team.
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However, Liverpool fans – and most other football fans – will certainly disagree with Cetin’s comments.
Van Dijk is one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen, as he regularly keeps top strikers quiet while also spraying out passes from deep and being a threat from set pieces.
The Dutch star, who has been Liverpool’s captain since July 2023, played an integral role as Liverpool won major trophies such as the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup under Jurgen Klopp.
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Meanwhile, sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Borussia Dortmund ace Karim Adeyemi is on Liverpool’s shortlist as they eye attacking recruits next year.
The Reds are ‘likely’ to buy a new winger at the end of the season, which is partly down to uncertainty over Mo Salah’s future. Adeyemi is one concrete option, while Liverpool also admire Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad.
TEAMtalk understands that in order to sign versatile Germany star Adeyemi, Liverpool will need to pay Dortmund less than €45m (£37.5m / $US50.2m). Liverpool chiefs view this as a reasonable sum given the 22-year-old’s exciting potential.
Another player Liverpool like the look of is Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. They watched on as Newcastle United failed with multiple bids for the centre-half in the summer.
In a major boost for Arne Slot’s side, Football Insider report that Guehi would rather join Liverpool than Newcastle at this stage.
Tottenham latest: Serie A striker eyed
Spurs only captured Dominic Solanke in the summer, but it seems they are already eyeing up more striker reinforcements.
Fichajes claim that Spurs are poised to battle Aston Villa for Inter Milan ace Marcus Thuram, who has already registered four goals and two assists in five Serie A matches this campaign.
Inter want to keep Thuram which means he will not come cheap. It is thought that the France star has a £70m (€85m / $US94.6m) exit clause in his Inter contract.
A transfer at that price would see Spurs smash their transfer record once again. Solanke is their new most expensive buy, having cost £65m when joining from Bournemouth in the summer.