A story is emerging that the Virgil Van Dijk saga runs lot deeper than just the players desire to move to Liverpool, but his agents issues with Saints.

A report in the media suggests that Van Dijk's management company fell out with Saints when they arranged the move of another of their clients Ronald Koeman to Everton.

There was a lot of bad blood 15 months ago when Koeman changed his agent to Rob Jansen of the Wasserman group and then engineered his move to Everton.

Back then Saints were not happy at the way Jansen kept trying to force Koeman to move seemingly against his will in the early days and eventually levered him out of St Mary's, it wasn't the fact that Koeman went, but the way it was done.

This simmered and when Van Dijk moved his business to the Wasserman group just under a year ago and the writing was on the wall back then.

So when Van Dijk told Saints that he wanted to go to Liverpool back in May they smelt a rat and were right to do so as it emerged that Van Dijk had met with Liverpool and allegedly Chelsea and Man City.

Saints would not be bullied and told player and agent he would not be sold and urged him to accept this, but Rob Jansen was in no mood to advise his client to do this, he wanted to re open the feud and did so.

So there has now been a three month stand off with seemingly little dialogue between Saints and the Wasserman group and no common ground.

So even if the window closes with Van Dijk a Saints player it is highly unlikely that peace will break out between Saints and the Wasserman group and by default Van Dijk himself.

Photo: Action Images

pete_boggs added 11:54 - Aug 24 Luckily Saints don't need VvD as has been proven by our results so far this season. Long may he rot in the reserves, well done Les keep the steady improvements going!
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legod7 added 11:59 - Aug 24 If this so called story is true how come VVD signed a contract extension on 5th May 2016. Who was his agent when he signed his contract extension? Was it this new agent or his previous one ? Either way no one signs a 6 year contract extension then asks for a transfer . It doesn't ring true at all.
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BaselSaint added 12:23 - Aug 24 VVD is only harming himself now if he has any international ambitions or pride. Needs to accept and buckle down. He might want to consider his position with the Wassermann group as well as they have led him so far astray with no positive result.
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SanMarco added 12:49 - Aug 24 I think he changed agent in December 2016 legod so it was after the contract but before the injury. The important point is that he changed agent in order to engineer a move - anything else he says is nonsense. The cause and effect is he decided he wanted to go and changed agent to a proven 'get me out of Saints quick' man. Yes, the agent is a **** but VVD made the choices.

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landerwal added 13:28 - Aug 24 VVD made his choice, but he needs top flight playing time if he is to go forward in his career. If he is still with Saints when the transfer window closes he has to buckle down and play or risk losing a season's playing time because no club is going to pay an enormous transfer fee for a player in January, get him match fit then have him only play a dozen or so games before the end of season. As VVD stated when he put in his transfer request, "injury made me realise how short my career is in football". It is Virgil and if you are still here after the window closes, smell the coffee, bite the bullet and start playing for the team your contracted to. Oh and you might like to think about changing your agent!

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pintsizedsaint added 13:44 - Aug 24 Clearly the Wasserman group are key to this episode. It also goes to show how much players allow agents to run the roost in order to fulfil the promise of maximising cash and opportunity. As with Koeman it is possible that the agency spoke to VVD and persuaded him to ditch his agent for the promise of more instantaneous riches. I also suspect that the agency didn't see the recent contract extension as a problem as they consider themselves above those types of trivialities. Like we've seen before they simply believe that they can do what they like - knowing that a team like SFC will find a big transfer sum hard to turn down. However SFC have had enough. Good on them, because where does it end? Hoedt is not with Wasserman now, but who's to say they would have come calling if he does well? SFC are drawing a line in the sand: telling Wasserman that whilst they got away with it with Koeman, they will not do so with players.

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warrens76 added 14:34 - Aug 24 I do not understand why SFC do not make a public statement against Wasserman group, moreover enlist other clubs in petitioning the various governing bodies, it will wake everyone up to their antics and prove 'form' in future escapades.
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SaintBrock added 14:37 - Aug 24 The point to learn for SFC is not to get involved with any player linked to the Wassermann Group if they have not already adopted that stance. Les should go away on holiday for the next seven days, leave his phone on voicemail and no details of his holiday address. He can deal with any bids for our players next week!
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underweststand added 14:59 - Aug 24 Agents are the scourge of football nowadays. Far from looking after the player's interests they hype up fees and salaries and take a bigger % cut themselves...I wonder how much more the player actually gets ? I hope that Saints use this situation as an example of how to handle greedy agents. As for VvD himself...Saints having signed TWO new CB's..and played 6 months without Virgil...another 6 months can't be any worse. By January ...one or more of the "Big SIx " will be struggling to keep after their CL spot and £75 million will be a starting price in the auction that follows. I'm sorry to have to write this about a player who I think is real class....but the fact remains no player should think he's bigger than the club he's contracted to...even if he is their "star´ player..

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GeordieSaint added 15:09 - Aug 24 He probably realised how much Ronald was making and started shouting show me the money in jerry McGuire style.
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LondonSaint added 16:08 - Aug 24 I am developing a strong dislike for the Wassermann group but there's no smoke without fire - came across this article recently which made me chuckle: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3119299/Virgil-van-Dijk-drops-
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patred added 17:19 - Aug 24 Wassermans, Koeman, Van Dyke, all Dutch. And, in Holland they have a different attitude, different rules concerning registering contracts and enforcing them. It's far more relaxed and favours the players right to move to whatever employer he wishes. Not defending them, because when in Rome etc. That's why the Dutch don't understand our attitude. Liverpool, however, have taken full advantage of their attitudes towards contracts to the full.

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