Virgil van Dijk has warned Southampton he will launch a fresh fight to quit for Liverpool in January.
The £60million-rated Dutch defender - whose summer transfer request was rejected - said: “I have no regrets.
"Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what’s possible.”
Van Dijk is back in the Saints squad after training alone during the summer.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had made the 26-year-old centre-back his top defensive target, refusing to look elsewhere when Southampton made it clear that they would not sell.
After being made to apologise for their conduct in their pursuit of Van Dijk, Liverpool declared they would not move again for him unless Southampton decided they wanted to sell.
The Reds, however, have had a defensive nightmare since then. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League since August and now sit seventh.
They have also dropped needless points in the Champions League and crashed out of League Cup.
Now back in the fold at St Mary’s, Van Dijk has insisted he will remain committed to Southampton for now.
He is still, however, desperate to leave for Anfield.
He told Fox Sports: "I’m glad I’m fit again and I can give up to 100 percent.
“Of course, I wanted to make a step up, but Southampton did not want me to sell me. But you’re a professional, so now I’ll give everything to the club.”
THE Hampshire Premier League’s hopes of Inter League Cup glory were dashed in the first round.
They took the lead against the Cambridgeshire League at Hamble FC through a 23rd minute goal from Callum Drake, but two penalty decisions went against them and they lost 2-1.
The hosts went ahead went Bush Hill’s Nathan Gray ran through and chipped the keeper. The ball rebounded off a post and Drake was there first to net the rebound.
Cambridgeshire levelled shortly before half-time when the referee incensed the HPL XI by awarding a spot-kick for a foul. After a delay due to home protests, Lambert converted from 12 yards.
The visitors stepped up a gear in the second half and, after Gray had headed a great chance wide from a free-kick, Hills put them ahead after 56 minutes.
The HPL had a good shout for a penalty as Drake appeared to be brought down as he shaped to shoot.
Because of the inter-league game, there was a shortened HPL programme as clubs could postpone their league matches if they had players called up for the league XI.
In the battle of the bottom two, Connor Moody scored to give second bottom Hedge End Rangers their first win at the expense of Colden Common.
Rangers had only previously taken one point from seven games, while Common now prop up the table after losing for the eighth time in nine outings.
Harry Potter and Jamie Eyre scored in the first 18 minutes as Clanfield won 2-1 at Fleetlands. Jake Gregory replied 20 minutes from time.
Darren Ritchie left it late to snatch a winner for Sway at Winchester Castle - the only goal of the contest coming in the 90th minute.
Netley Central and Four Marks remain joint top of the HPL Division 1 after comprehensive victories.
Ash Lovett and Mike Mullins both scored twice in Netley’s 7-3 romp at Michelmersh & Timsbury. Chris Skilton, Charlie Hinge and an own goal also scored.
But Four Marks stay top on goal difference after a 4-0 home victory over Headley, through Westbrook (2), Fry and Bert.
Bush Hill Reserves are through to the second round of the Hampshire Intermediate Cup after a 2-1 home win over South Wonston. D Spencer and K Yandell were on target.
Virgil van Dijk is refusing to give up on leaving Southampton and will look for a move in January after revealing he has ‘no regrets’ over his summer transfer saga.
Liverpool led a summer-long £60million chase of the Dutch centre back with Chelsea and Manchester City also showing interest, but Southampton held firm to keep him.
Van Dijk returned from exile to start in the Premier League for the first time since January on Saturday — but his thoughts are already back on moving away.
Speaking after joining up with Holland for international duty, Van Dijk told FOX Sports: 'I have no regrets.
‘Of course, I wanted to go one step up, but eventually Southampton did not want to let me go, but you’re a professional, so now I’ll give everything to the club.
'Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what’s possible.’
Liverpool chose not to sign another centre back after their interest in Van Dijk was rebuffed and have opened the season with a leaky defence under Jurgen Klopp.
Only Crystal Palace and West Ham have conceded more goals than the Reds’ 12 in the Premier League and Klopp would be keen to revive his interest in Van Dijk should his key summer target become available.
At Stoke City on Saturday, the 26-year-old played the full 90 minutes as goals from Mame Biram Diouf and Peter Crouch put Southampton to the sword.
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino said afterwards: ‘I think he was ok. It is not easy to come back after a long long way, a long period of time, and I think he was correct, focused, and the timing in some action was good.’
After seven rounds of matches, the relegation situation is taking shape in the Premier League. While Crystal Palace’s historic awfulness takes the headlines, there are plenty of others looking over their shoulders, including recent champions Leicester and Everton who, after a summer of spending, would have aspired for the top four.
What sends them down?
Irredeemable damage may already have been done. Frank de Boer’s appointment was ill-fitting and terminated prematurely, giving rise to the worst start in Premier League history: seven games, seven defeats, and not a single goal scored. Palace are the only team in Europe’s top 20 league not to hit the back of the net and beyond Christian Benteke, hopeless before his knee injury, they do not have a striker worthy of the job title.
What keeps them up?
A miracle? Or more precisely, Roy Hodgson’s training ground work swiftly undoing the confusion that reigned under De Boer and making Palace tough to beat before he works on the rest. Chelsea is their next fixture but a kinder schedule awaits. At least the crisis came early.
What sends them down?
Has Eddie Howe’s adventurous approach been found out in his third season in the top division? His team are conceding too many goals while not scoring enough. None of the summer’s big signings, Jermain Defoe, Nathan Ake or Asmir Begovic have found form yet, while Howe relies on the nucleus that came up through the divisions.
What keeps them up?
Four points from the last three matches suggests a tighter approach and a rethink may yet save them. Howe’s belief in attacking does not preclude pragmatism and team spirit remains strong among his players.
What sends them down?
In truth, Swansea have been circling the drain for a while and they are no longer the paragon club they were during their first years in the Premier League. Paul Clement did a fine job in rescuing the mess left by Bob Bradley’s ill-suited appointment last season, but the loss of Gylfi Sigurdsson to Everton remains significant for a team that struggled to create chances in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at West Ham.
What keeps them up?
Clement is an adept coach, capable of switching systems, but needs to find a way to get more from his front line. Wilfried Bony and Tammy Abraham is a pairing of experience and promise, but needs far better service. Perhaps Renato Sanches, one of the world’s hottest young prospects on loan from Bayern, can eventually inspire.
What sends them down?
The crisis is not as acute as that which brought down Claudio Ranieri in March, but Leicester have still made their worst ever start to a Premier League season. Craig Shakespeare, assistant turned caretaker turned permanent manager, presides over a team that scores goals but concedes too many. Losing Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea on transfer deadline day and failing to sign Adrien Silva from Sporting Lisbon in time now appears a serious mistake.
What keeps them up?
Jamie Vardy is still scoring, though is being nursed through a niggling hip problem, so if the defence can be tightened up, then Leicester, still possessing plenty of their 2015-16 title team, should be fine. Young centre-back Harry Maguire, for all his excellence on the ball, is a work in progress.
What sends them down?
Everton being relegated would count among the greatest shocks in Premier League history but should it happen, then it would register as £150 million of spending going to ruin. Failing to sign a centre forward to replace Romelu Lukaku (who moved to Man United) is the most obvious cause, but a poorly protected defence has also been a problem.
What keeps them up?
Should the rot be allowed to set in, Everton might find themselves in a relegation battle their squad is poorly equipped for, but the likes of Wayne Rooney and Sigurdsson have the quality to guide them out of it. Though it may require a change of manager, with Ronald Koeman presently appearing befuddled.
What sends them down?
The standard of football Slaven Bilic’s team have played this season makes their points total seem generous. Bilic, by no means a tactician, has made some mystifying team selections, and is struggling to accommodate Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll together up front.
What keeps them up?
Bilic’s ability to pull off results when it matters keeps him employed for the moment, though he might also point to the return of Manuel Lanzini as a vital boost. The Argentinian energised the Hammers to Saturday’s last-gasp defeat of Swansea.
What sends them down?
A glance at Chris Hughton’s squad does not suggest the quality required to survive. A manager who prefers to defend first and attack only when the back door is shut, does not have the forwards to hand for that to be a successful strategy.
What keeps them up?
Winger Anthony Knockaert was Brighton’s star man last season, but has suffered a delayed start to this campaign after injury and personal problems. Should he and Glenn Murray, an underrated striker, find fitness and form, then Albion might find a path to safety.
What sends them down?
Mark Hughes is a manager under a modicum of pressure as last season’s 13th place represented a decline on three successive ninth-placed finishes. Inconsistency is his team’s problem at the moment, and the bet365 stadium is not the fortress of its reputation.
What keeps them up?
Stoke’s recent problems have owned something to a series of defensive injuries, but only Bruno Martins Indi is now on the sick list. Meanwhile, at the other end, Peter Crouch, scorer of the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat of Southampton stays evergreen, while Jese Rodriguez and Xherdan Shaqiri offer real pedigree.
What sends them down?
Mauricio Pellegrino is suffering similar problems to predecessor Claude Puel; Saints struggle at home and to score goals. They have only notched more than once in a single game, a 3-2 defeat of West Ham in August, and no player has scored more than once, either.
What keeps them up?
An experienced squad, including Virgil van Dijk, finding his way back after long exile, should have enough to pull clear of too much danger. All is not well at St Mary’s, where fans are getting restless, but there are surely three worse teams than Southampton in the Premier League.
What sends them down?
A bright beginning, after victories in their first two matches, has given way to some troubling signs. David Wagner’s team have not been able to exert the pressing game that won them promotion last season and have scored just one goal since August. It would not be a surprise to see Huddersfield plummet in the coming weeks.
What keeps them up?
The key to Huddersfield’s success, aside from that pressing game, was to get playmaker Aaron Mooy on the ball, but opponents appear already to have worked out that strategy. Wagner, known for being meticulous in his preparation, may need to amend his approach and perhaps turn attentions to scouting a better quality striker for the January transfer window.
John Brewin is a staff writer for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @JohnBrewinESPN.
Virgil van Dijk has revealed he is still open to the prospect of leaving Southampton ahead of the January transfer window.
The Netherlands defender was a summer transfer target for Liverpool, but the Merseyside club called off their pursuit in June and then issued an apology to Southampton after being accused of an illegal approach.
Southampton turned down a transfer request from Van Dijk in August, instead leaving the 26-year-old to train with the club’s development squad.
Van Dijk has since returned to the first-team fold following the end of the summer transfer window, but has once again cast doubt over his long-term future at St Mary’s
“I’m glad I’m fit again and I can give up 100 percent,” Van Dijk, who has over five years remaining on his contract at Southampton, told Fox Sports in the Netherlands.
"I’m not sorry for anything. Of course, I wanted to make a step up, but Southampton did not want me to sell me, but you’re a professional, so now I’ll give everything to the club.
“Halfway through the season, maybe we can see what’s possible.”
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