“That Was a Big Mistake—They Can’t Afford to Repeat It!” Paul Scholes Slams Man City for Missing Out on ‘Phenomenal’ Star
Paul Scholes says Manchester City’s decision to walk away from a deal for Virgil van Dijk was a huge error — and warns the club not to make the same costly mistake again.
Manchester City are known for making smart moves in the transfer market, but Paul Scholes believes they made one costly mistake that handed a massive boost to Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Back in January 2018, Virgil van Dijk was one of the most sought-after defenders in world football. Both City and Liverpool were interested in signing the Dutchman, who had impressed massively at Southampton. But while Liverpool were willing to pay the £75 million price tag, Manchester City walked away from the deal—citing financial concerns.
Now, years later, former Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that decision came back to haunt City.
Speaking during The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes was reminded of how City also recently backed out of a big-money deal for Florian Wirtz. Host Jamie Carragher pointed out that it wasn’t the first time City had pulled the plug on a major target, bringing up the van Dijk saga as an example.
One Manchester City fan on the show chimed in: “City actually pulled out of the Van Dijk deal as well… If you watch the documentary in 2017/18, City sometimes pull out of these mega deals.”
To which Scholes bluntly replied: “That was a mistake.”
And looking back, it’s hard to argue with him.
Van Dijk went on to transform Liverpool’s defence and played a key role in their success under Jurgen Klopp, including a Champions League title and Premier League crown. Former Arsenal and England defender Sol Campbell once said that while Vincent Kompany may have been the better all-round player, a Van Dijk–Kompany pairing at City could have been unstoppable.
Even Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was heard doubting the fee during Amazon Prime’s All or Nothing documentary, saying: “Come on, you cannot be serious. Ultimately, if it makes sense for us we will do it. If it doesn’t make sense, we are perfectly comfortable in walking away.”
That hesitation gave Liverpool the chance to swoop in and secure one of the best centre-backs of this generation—something BBC pundit Stephen Warnock recently touched on, calling Van Dijk “phenomenal.”
In hindsight, City’s decision not only cost them a world-class player, but also gave a direct rival the tools needed to rise back to the top.
City might be walking away from another top player in Florian Wirtz due to financial reasons, but Scholes’ warning suggests they might want to think twice before repeating the same mistake.
