OPINION
Liverpool have twice broken position-specific world record fees in the past two transfer windows, spending £75million on Virgil van Dijk in January before shelling out £67million for Alisson this summer.
Eyebrows were raised across the nation in the wake of both deals, but the Reds are already reaping the rewards with two clean sheets to start the season.
The duo particularly impressed in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening, with van Dijk handling the challenge of containing a dangerous Palace attack with ease, while Alisson showed glimpses of his talent in goal.
Van Dijk came out after the game to praise Alisson for his display, saying, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo: “It’s fantastic. You see how composed he is, the presence he has, he’s a fantastic goalie.
“We are all very happy to have him in the team, he’s a good character as well, I’m very happy with him.”
This love-in from van Dijk shows a growing rapport between these two key players, and that will be essential if they are to develop into a force for Liverpool this season and beyond.
The early signs are most certainly there, with both players being good communicators and natural leaders, which is exactly what you want from both goalkeeper and centre-back.
Van Dijk has already developed into one of the Premier League’s best centre-backs in recent months, and should Alisson do the same in goal, then these two could go on to become an iconic partnership for the Reds.
A six-year wait for a major trophy means the stage is set for heroes to be born at Anfield this season, and if that wait is ended this season then there is no limit to what this team could achieve.
It is still early days, but the signs are there to suggest that this duo are set to become legends at Anfield if that trophy duck is broken soon.
