The Scottish Sun are reporting that Norwich are preparing an £8 million bid for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk.
The magnitude of this rumour is very much on the contrary to what Norwich have seen so far this window; Dorrans was a foregone conclusion and while Mulumbu on a free may be a worthwhile deal, it hasn’t got anybody really excited.
John Collins has claimed van Dijk is the ‘best centre-half in Europe’, urging him to stay in Scotland. But such is the rise of his stock, inevitably Premier League clubs are sniffing.
Since joining Celtic in 2013 for a fee of £2.6 million, the defender has made 71 appearances, scoring 9 goals. He’s strong, hard-working and at 6″4, dominant in the air. However, perhaps most notably, only 23. That means he’s packed with potential and likely eager to take the next step-up in his career.
The Scottish Sun goes on to claim that van Dijk is Alex Neil’s ‘number one transfer target’. That may well be true, with the consensus amongst Norwich fans being that quality, not quantity is needed to strengthen the squad. Alex Neil may have spotted the talent of van Dijk during his management of Hamilton in the SPL, but whether that adds extra strength to this rumour is debatable.
There is certainly a requirement for a new centre-back; Russell Martin has struggled in the Premier League before and Michael Turner is now unwanted. Ryan Bennett, who shows glimpses of being very good, is so often injured we never get the best out of him. Van Dijk could therefore help solve this issue, but at £8 million pounds, Norwich must be wise and hope their research is thorough – no-one wants another over-priced, under-performing Dutchman. We’ve been down that route before…
In addition, the SPL is not at the same level as the Premier League. Celtic might be, but the division itself isn’t. As a defender it would therefore be a step-up in quality. He’d be up against the likes of Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa. With no Premier League experience, it has the potential to be a risk, but sometimes you have to take a risk to reap the rewards (ahem, Hughton).
Either way it would be a bold signing and a statement of intent. If he really is as good as they say, someone bigger will snap him up though.
