Virgil van Dijk has agreed a new long-term contract at Liverpool. Getty
Virgil van Dijk has agreed a new long-term contract at Liverpool. Getty
Virgil van Dijk has agreed a new long-term contract at Liverpool. Getty
Virgil van Dijk has agreed a new long-term contract at Liverpool. Getty

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Virgil van Dijk signs new deal at Liverpool

Dutch defender to remain at Premier League club until 2025

The National

August 13, 2021

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Virgil van Dijk has signed a new deal with Liverpool that will see him remain at the club until the summer of 2025.

The 30-year-old Dutch defender, whose previous contract was still to run until 2023, has agreed the extension, joining Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Alisson in committing their long-term futures to the Premier League club this summer.

Van Dijk is currently working his way back to full fitness after picking up a serious knee injury last October that would see him miss the rest of the Premier League season and Euro 2020 in the summer.

Asked how it felt about signing his new deal, Van Dijk told Liverpoolfc.com: “Amazing. It is something to be very proud of, that I am very proud of, that my wife and my kids are very proud of and obviously my agency.

“All the hard work we’ve put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I’m delighted, very happy and proud.

“Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club.

“It has been going well; unfortunately last season for me personally has been a season to forget, to learn from and take with me, but I have enjoyed my time here and will keep enjoying it in the next couple of years altogether with all of you.”

Van Dijk could feature in Liverpool's season opener at Norwich on Saturday. “I feel good,” he added. “Friendlies, you get your match fitness up, get into repetitions of doing things again and again.

“I feel like I am ready for the weekend, so we'll see what the manager decides. It is going to be a totally different atmosphere and mindset for me personally as well.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made clear his views on Van Dijk's contract. "It's great news," he said. "The good thing is that we know him already. We've used him already quite successfully and we are really happy that he's happy here.

"He is back on track and preparing for a very successful at this club. Imagine if we had to buy this boy now. Thank god we only had to give him a new contract."

Five players Liverpool should sign this summer

  • Nicolo Barella - Carried his impressive club form with Italian champions Inter Milan through to the European Championship with Italy. A midfielder very much in the Jurgen Klopp mould who loves to bomb forward. La Repubblica reported last week that Liverpool are preparing to offer £60 million for the 24 year old.
    Nicolo Barella - Carried his impressive club form with Italian champions Inter Milan through to the European Championship with Italy. A midfielder very much in the Jurgen Klopp mould who loves to bomb forward. La Repubblica reported last week that Liverpool are preparing to offer £60 million for the 24 year old.
  • Patrik Schick - Scorer of the goal of Euro 2020 with an audacious chip from the halfway line to beat Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall. Finished the touanment with four goals as Czech Republic reached the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old forward seems to be over the injuries that have blighted his career but Bayer Leverkusen are reluctant to sell their prized asset.
    Patrik Schick - Scorer of the goal of Euro 2020 with an audacious chip from the halfway line to beat Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall. Finished the touanment with four goals as Czech Republic reached the quarter-finals. The 25-year-old forward seems to be over the injuries that have blighted his career but Bayer Leverkusen are reluctant to sell their prized asset.
  • Youri Tielemans - One of the most underrated central midfielders in the Premier League. Tielemans' screamer in the FA Cup final was worthy of winning any match. Leicester's Belgian international, 24, rarely wastes possesion and a superb passer. Would fill the void left by Georginio Wijnaldum's departure perfectly.
    Youri Tielemans - One of the most underrated central midfielders in the Premier League. Tielemans' screamer in the FA Cup final was worthy of winning any match. Leicester's Belgian international, 24, rarely wastes possesion and a superb passer. Would fill the void left by Georginio Wijnaldum's departure perfectly.
  • Robin Gosens - Arguably the best individual performance at Euro 2020 belonged to the German wing-back. Involved in all four of Germany's goals in the win over Portugal in the group phase, including a bullet header. The left-sided Atalanta player, 27, can also operate as part of a back four and would provide meaningful competition for Andy Robertson.
    Robin Gosens - Arguably the best individual performance at Euro 2020 belonged to the German wing-back. Involved in all four of Germany's goals in the win over Portugal in the group phase, including a bullet header. The left-sided Atalanta player, 27, can also operate as part of a back four and would provide meaningful competition for Andy Robertson.
  • Saul Niguez - It speaks volumes about the calibre of Spanish midfielders that Niguez was left out of Luis Enrique's Euro 2020 squad. Battle-hardened after manning a midfield coached by Diego Simeone, Niguez, 26, was a vital cog in the Atletico Madrid team that beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to last season's La Liga title. Reports in the UK say Liverpool may include Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi in a deal to sign the Atletico player.
    Saul Niguez - It speaks volumes about the calibre of Spanish midfielders that Niguez was left out of Luis Enrique's Euro 2020 squad. Battle-hardened after manning a midfield coached by Diego Simeone, Niguez, 26, was a vital cog in the Atletico Madrid team that beat Real Madrid and Barcelona to last season's La Liga title. Reports in the UK say Liverpool may include Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi in a deal to sign the Atletico player.

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

Your rights as an employee

The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.

The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.

If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.

Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.

The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.

Other IPL batting records

Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle

Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir

Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)

Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell

Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)

Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar

Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle

Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir

Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)

Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)

 

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.

Updated: August 13, 2021, 11:05 AM
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