Virgil van Dijk is often referred to as the best centre-back in the Premier League, but is that the case? talkSPORT co-host and former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy doesn’t think so, following his performance against the Blues.Cundy had the mother of all hot takes on the Sports Bar recentlytalkSPORTVan Dijk became a meme as soon as pictures emerged of him facing away from Moises Caicedo‘s shot that rifled into the top corner. And online, he’s now become the brunt of a joke that he was ‘twerking’ for the midfield star as Liverpool conceded.Speaking on The Sports Bar after that game and his unfortunate pose, an extremely bold claim that Cundy made last season resurfaced.Cundy previously said: “Van Dijk isn’t world-class, not for me. He’s overhyped. [Micky] Van de Ven is a better centre-half than Van Dijk.” And 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.”Van Dijk is ‘overhyped’ according to talkSPORT host CundyGettyVan 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. He started 37 of the Reds’ 38 games and kept 14 clean sheets. The 34-year-old averaged a tackle per game and made 54 interceptions as well as 221 clearances, 113 ball recoveries and 116 aerial duels throughout the campaign.Meanwhile, Van de Ven only appeared 13 times last term due to injury, so comparisons are slightly unfair. In those appearances, he made 11 tackles, nine interceptions and 47 clearances, also recovering the ball 61 times. Cundy claimed Van de Ven is a better defender than Van Dijk last seasonVan Dijk did, however, make more errors leading to goals and shots compared to Van de Ven, albeit with a larger sample size. He made errors leading to three shots and one goal during the 24/25 season, Van de Ven made one.When it came to clean sheets though, the Reds skipper had 11 more compared to Ange Postecoglou‘s defence…or lack of.Who is actually the best CB in the league? 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. Van Dijk is regularly named as one of them, but Arsenal fans will be sure to make their stars are part of the debate…Saliba and Gabriel have formed an incredible partnership for ArsenalGettyThe Gunners have built their team around William Saliba and Gabriel, with the pair surely in for a shout at being the best around. Mikel Arteta‘s side have the best defensive record in the Premier League across the last two seasons and the start of this term. And Saliba‘s presence in the defence has proven to be pivotal to success, with their points per game dropping from 2.24 to 1.71 when he’s not been involved in the action. 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.Man City’s Dias was one of the league’s top defenders last campaignGettyPlayersBlocksInterceptionsPossession 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. He won possession 146 times in 2024/25 for Palace, while also intercepting the ball more than Saliba, Dias and Romero.His 23 blocks were one of the highest in the Premier League too, putting him in the conversation for the best in the top flight.Of course, stats for defenders often relate to the style of football their team play or how good their team is. So, certain players excel in areas that a ‘better centre-back’ may not and that makes finding out a definitive best tough. Guehi is also a contender for the title of best defender in the Premier LeagueGettyBut if things were down to the Team of the Season for last term, it would be a battle between Van Dijk and Saliba.And it’s hard to argue against that…