The True Worth of Virgil

Article by e-Celtic's Tom Shanahan

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There were no gasps of despair from the Celtic support when news broke that Virgil Van Dijk is a transfer target for clubs across Europe. Apparent interest from Russia, England, Spain and other countries was expected after Van Dijk’s displays in his first season wearing the hoops. The only surprise was that the projected transfer fee was a reported £6 million. For Celtic fans this is a very low valuation for the Dutchman however, can Celtic realistically expect a higher fee for one of their prized assets?

Van Dijk signed for Celtic last summer from Dutch side FC Groningen in a deal worth £2.6 million. At the time press in Holland thought the fee paid by Celtic was no where near Van Dijk’s valuation. They were also shocked that the centre half decided to move to a league which is inferior to the Dutch Eredivisie. No one could deny that Van Dijk was moving to a league of a lesser standard however, he had his eyes firmly focused on a more prestigious tournament, the Champions League.

The more Celtic fans researched their new signing the excitement significantly increased. Van Dijk seemed to possess all the qualities needed to become a top class, modern day centre half. Van Dijk unfortunately missed the beginning of the season after suffering a foot injury during a pre season friendly. This meant Celtic manager Neil Lennon was unable to partner Van Dijk with Kelvin Wilson, as Lennon felt Efe Ambrose was a ready made replacement for Victor Wanyama in midfield. This change to the team never materialised as Kelvin Wilson returned to Nottingham Forest after a two year stint in Glasgow.

After a cameo appearance away to Aberdeen at Pittodrie, Van Dijk found himself in the starting line up for the crucial Champions League play off tie away to Shakhter Karagandy. It was a tough situation for Van Dijk to be pitched into as Celtic lost 2-0 in a disappointing defensive display.

With the Champions League qualifiers over Van Dijk was able to form a fine partnership with Efe Ambrose at the heart of the defence. The Dutchman’s calmness in possession gave confidence to the whole defence. Although a giant of a man he has a gracefulness when surging out of defence to start the next attack and he uses his 6ft 4in frame expertly when tussling with centre forwards.

Season 2013/14 was without question the most assured Celtic have been whilst defending since the Martin O’Neil era. Fraser Forster managed to break the Scottish record by going 1,215 minutes without conceding a league goal. Every member of the team must of course be given credit for this tremendous feat however, Van Dijk’s contribution can probably only be matched by Forster himself. In 47 appearances last season Van Dijk scored five goals, including a solo effort away to St. Johnstone and an emphatic free kick at Easter Road. To cap off an impressive season Van Dijk was named the Celtic Players’ Player of the Year. Quite an achievement when you consider he was up against 32 goal hero Kris Commons and the shut out King Fraser Forster.

Although it was a disappointing Champions League campaign for Celtic, Van Dijk did still manage to look more than capable of competing against a higher calibre of opposition. His performances away to AC Milan and Ajax were pleasing on the eye and it was unfortunate his team mates could not reach the same performance levels, especially in Amsterdam.

Based on the sale of Victor Wanyama it would be foolish of Celtic to entertain a bid for Van Dijk which is not in the region of £10 million. At the age of 22, Van Dijk can still be culpable for the odd loss in concentration but with time in his favour there is no telling how far his potential could take him. Van Dijk was unfortunate not to even be considered for the Holland World Cup squad. The Dutch have been in fine form in their four matches so far however, it is my opinion that Van Dijk is a far superior defender to Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar and would look at ease in the 3-5-2 system being deployed by Louis Van Gaal.

Additionally I believe that Celtic is the perfect club for him to continue his development. Ronny Deila has already stated a huge part of his managerial role is to help players like Van Dijk improve. Out of the clubs mentioned to be monitoring Van Dijk I am not sure he would be given the same amount of tutoring which is on offer at Lennoxtown.

The other point to consider is from a business sense it would not be wise to sell Van Dijk at this moment in time. UEFA confirmed last week that Celtic made £14.1 million from competing in the Champions League last season. Selling Van Dijk would raise the majority of that income again however; having him in the starting XI for the qualifiers would give Celtic a far better chance of trumping that figure this season.

Ultimately, the future of Van Dijk will be decided by the player’s willingness to leave and the transfer offer Celtic receive. Every player has their price, let’s just hope Van Dijk and Celitc do not sell themselves short.

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