STEPHEN McGOWAN: VAN DIJK’S RAPID RISE INCLUDES A VALUABLE LESSON FOR CELTIC –
GIVE Ronny Deila this much. He didn’t get much right as manager of Celtic, but when it came to Virgil van Dijk he was on the money.
Eighteen months ago, Scotland’s champions were tiptoeing through the minefield of Champions League qualifiers. Battling to keep hold of their star defender.
Speculation raged over interest from Southampton and Norwich City. And when those clubs were mentioned a mild look of disdain passed over the Norwegian’s face.
‘Virgil is a top player and, if he should sign for somebody, it should be a big, big club. A club challenging to win the Champions League.’
The implication here was clear. Southampton were unworthy of his talents. Next month, the signs are that Deila’s verdict will be proven right.
Manchester City are expected to win a battle between England’s top clubs and Paris Saint-Germain for Van Dijk’s signature. And for Celtic this is rather good news.
Before agreeing to sell, chief executive Peter Lawwell insisted on a sell-on clause in the deal.
If Van Dijk goes for £50million, the Parkhead club stand to rake in a £5m bonus. This on top of the £30m already coming for Champions League participation.
A £2.6m punt on a player bizarrely overlooked by Holland’s top clubs looks likely to exceed all financial expectation.
There’s no reason, then, for Celtic to regret selling him. But there is a degree of frustration.
Because if Southampton could see how good Van Dijk was 18 months ago, why couldn’t bigger, wealthier clubs with deeper pockets see the same?
It’s a slightly humbling and embarrassing reflection on Scottish football that footballers playing for one of Europe’s biggest names must prove themselves all over again at middling English clubs before finding their true level.
Give the bigger clubs down south this. As a Celtic player, Van Dijk raised more questions than answers.
It was obvious he was good. Judging precisely how good was the problem.
There were days when he resembled the primary seven bully bulldozing through the infant’s playground, brushing opponents aside with something close to contempt. His physicality was impressive, his free-kicks spectacular. One match-winning goal at St Johnstone witnessed him gather the ball in his own half and run the length of the pitch before calmly applying the finish.
If we’re all honest there were times when the SPFL looked easy; embarrassingly so.
This explains why English clubs stood off and hesitated. The SPFL is tarred with a pretty sweeping brush down south. Frankly, it’s viewed as a pub league.
Europe, then, was Van Dijk’s proving ground. In theory at least. But he didn’t exactly stand out in UEFA competition wearing a green and white shirt. Efe Ambrose copped the flak for a 6-1 Champions League defeat in Barcelona three years ago. Van Dijk was right there beside him that night — but avoided most of the stick.
A Teflon sheen is never a bad thing for any footballer to have. A defender especially.
But Van Dijk offered no real sign of stepping it up a level when it really counted.
His best game in Europe for Celtic was one of his last; a 0-0 draw in Azerbaijan against Qarabag.
Has he improved since then? Possibly. If he has, then Southampton was a necessary move. One which paid off richly for both the player and the Parkhead outfit.
Former Celtic scouting chief John Park recently left the club after nine years to no real thanks or acclaim from fans.
Park was tarred by association with a period of downsizing overseen by the Celtic board before Brendan Rodgers arrived.
But Peter Lawwell knew his value better than anyone.
For every million quid blown on a Mo Bangura or an Amido Balde, Park can point to the riches accrued for Van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Ki Sung-Yueng.
He did much of the leg work on Moussa Dembele as well. And after pipping Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman to the title of best French Under-21 player of 2016, the striker could prove the biggest catch yet.
Because when top clubs in England eventually come north thinking they’re doing Scotland’s champions a favour by offering £15m, Lawwell and Rodgers can point to a Celtic old Bhoy and ask a question.
Eighteen months since leaving Glasgow, van Dijk is now a £50m player. Why should Celtic accept a fraction of that sum for Moussa Dembele?