Jamie Carragher offers Liverpool transfer window assessment as he declares Virgil van Dijk 'not fit enough'
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes his former club did NOT enjoy a successful January - and says £75million new boy Virgil van Dijk is currently ‘too big’ after a topsy-turvy start to Anfield life.
The Reds finally signed the Dutch defender from Southampton for a club record fee after being knocked back last summer.
But they cashed in on Philippe Coutinho, the Brazilian international completing a £142million move to Barcelona.
Daniel Sturridge also departed - on loan to West Brom - while the club’s hierarchy were unable to persuade RB Leipzig to part with Naby Keita early.
And according to Carragher, it cannot be seen as a successful month.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
(Image: AFP)
"I think if you lose your best player there's no way you can dress it up as a positive window, certainly in January as well," he said on Sky Sports' The Debate special. "I think every Liverpool fan, myself included, when Philippe Coutinho stayed in the summer, felt okay.
"We know he's going next season, let's enjoy these 12 months, probably similar to Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, you always felt that was going to happen.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
"To lose him mid-season, you know I don't agree. Philippe Coutinho is not worth that [£146m], he's not that good. I would have took £20m, £30m less in the summer to know that Liverpool would have had him in the second half of the season, because at that time we're still in the FA Cup, we're still in the Champion League.”
Van Dijk enjoyed an excellent Reds’ debut, scoring the winner against Everton in the FA Cup in front of the Kop.
But he has since played in the back-to-back defeats to Swansea and West Brom, before being left out of the starting lineup for the 3-0 win at Huddersfield.
(Image: AFP)
(Image: Getty Images Europe)
Ex-Liverpool skipper Carragher believes he will come good, but says he needs to improve his fitness, quickly.
"I think it will prove to be a great signing, but he hasn't hit the ground running,” Carragher offered.
"I think he needs to get fit and lose a bit of weight. He actually looks too big. Maybe that's to do with not having a pre-season."