Who is the best centre-back in the Premier League? Virgil van Dijk claim sparks debate

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He's overhyped. [Micky] Van de Ven is a better centre-half than Van Dijk."READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS'Never seen anything like it' - Premier League clubs lost out on £26m teenager as good as Virgil van DijkAnd after that statement was brought up again by co-host Jamie O'Hara, it raised the very important question... Who is the best centre-back in the Premier League? 'He's overhyped'Cundy maintained his stance that the answer to that question is not Van Dijk, saying: "I'm sticking with it.

"Everyone's telling me he's the best defender ever, that's the bit where he's overhyped."He's not the best defender ever. He has been world-class, but he's not... he had a couple of good seasons, I can't deny that."When asked whether he's up there with the bracket including John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, Cundy added: "No, he's below that."6Van Dijk is 'overhyped' according to talkSPORT host CundyCredit: GettyVan Dijk vs Van de VenJust for argument's sake, let's take a look at how Van Dijk and Van de Ven compared last season stats-wise after Cundy's claim.To start, the Liverpool centre-back came away with the Premier League title, becoming a top flight-winning captain.

Van de Ven, who is known for his incredible speed at the back, is an impressive defender, especially in Cundy's view.However, there are a few big names that would be considered ahead of him in the list of best defenders in the Premier League. The Frenchman recovered the ball more than any other defender last campaign (154 times), with only Van Dijk completing more passes.It was the Liverpool defender who topped the leaderboards for aerial duels and interceptions though, with that appearing to be his major strength compared to his competition.Meanwhile, Gabriel won possession the least out of Saliba, Van Dijk, Man City's Ruben Dias, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Tottenham's Cristian Romero and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa.6Man City's Dias was one of the league's top defenders last campaignCredit: GettyPlayersBlocksInterceptionsPossession wonDribbled pastVan Dijk16561159Gabriel2916634Saliba15211547Guehi232814616Dias2020786Romero327909Konsa1124975Top seven defenders selected by Premier League for 2024/25 seasonThe Brazilian also made the fewest interceptions out of the same group last season, but he did make the most blocks of all and was dribbled past by an opponent the least.Liverpool's interest in Guehi proved that he was a sought-after centre-back in the division and his stats prove why.