Sven Botman's former teammate urges Dutchman to leave Newcastle United for Premier League rivals

It's an unwritten rule in football that Newcastle United aren't allowed nice things and if they ever come into possession of nice things (ie quality players) then "Big Six" teams are entitled to them.

At least that's how it feels with Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon constantly being written and spoken about in the media about joining 'bigger clubs' as if they somehow hold a divine right to them.

We can now add Sven Botman to that list, which we suppose was inevitable at some point given his obvious quality.

Botman has been out of action since April but is working towards an early 2025 comeback, however, talk of him ditching Newcastle have begun before he's even proved that he's not feeling any long-term negative effects of his ACL injury.

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Jose Fonte wants Sven Botman to replace Virgil Van Dijk at Liverpool

Former Southampton man Jose Fonte who played with Botman at Lille as the French side won Ligue 1, has now told JeffBet (via Newcastle World) that he wants to see Botman replace his former Southampton teammate Virgil Van Dijk at Liverpool.

“I’d love to see Sven Botman replace Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool and I think he has the ability to do it.

“We won the league together in France and like Van Dijk, he is a monster. He is tall, very good in duels, he plays as the left centre back, he loves a tackle, he’s aggressive and still young.

“I just hope that he can continue his progress after his injury and stay healthy, if he does that then I’m sure he’ll be considered by Liverpool.”

Why does Sven Botman have to leave Newcastle to be as good as Virgil Van Dijk?

We aren't sure what Sven Botman's future has to do with Jose Fonte or why he cares so much about who plays for Liverpool, but if you expect Botman to turn his back on Newcastle after spending so long out of action in just his second season, then he's nuts.

Although saying that, that's pretty much what Tino Livramento did to Southampton when he joined Newcastle, so that argument isn't exactly airtight.

No doubt Botman will love the comparison to Van Dijk as the Dutchman has openly spoken about aspiring to be like him, but he doesn't have to leave Newcastle to get that kind of legacy now, with Newcastle aiming to break down that "Big Six" barrier.