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Southampton FC Confirm Signing of Celtic Defender Virgil van Dijk

By Robert Molnar

Virgil van Dijk (Credit: Antoon Kuper -- Flickr Creative Commons)
Virgil van Dijk (Credit: Antoon Kuper -- Flickr Creative Commons) /
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Southampton FC’s pursuit of Virgil van Dijk has officially ended. The Saints announced on their official website the signing of Dutch center back Virgil van Dijk from Scottish Premiership champions Celtic.

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The move comes after the Dutchman requested a transfer from the Scottish giants following the side’s loss in the Champions League qualifiers. The rumored fee payed by Southampton FC is rumored to be around the £11.5 million mark.

Joining Celtic in 2013, Virgil van Dijk spent over two season’s playing in Glasgow. Appearing in 114 matches for the club, the Dutchman will now be looking for some of the same success upon his arrival on the South Coast of England.

The center back’s arrival marks ninth move of the Summer transfer window. Virgil van Dijk is also the fourth defender brought into St. Mary Stadium by Saints manager Ronald Koeman. The center back also joins Maarten Stekelenburg and Jordy Clasie as new arrivals with Dutch heritage this summer.

Unveiled by the club today, Virgil van Dijk expressed his excitement to be apart of the setup at St. Mary’s and is looking forward to doing great things with Southampton FC.

"“I’m delighted. It was a very easy decision to join this club. This is a very ambitious club, who have been doing very well in the last couple of years. It’s a great place to be and it’s the right step for me. For me now to get the opportunity to play in the Premier League is unbelievable and I will enjoy it.I’m so excited. I hope to settle in really quick, get everything around football sorted and start playing and enjoying it because the most important thing in football is to have fun and enjoy every day.”"

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Also at the unveiling ceremony was Southampton FC’s Executive Director of Football Les Reed. The mastermind behind the recent rise in football at Southampton had nothing but positives to say about the 24-year-old Dutch player.

"“We’ve had Virgil in our system for a long time and have explored the possibility of signing him in previous transfer windows, and this year we had a really strong opportunity to do it. He’s still a young man but a very mature young man who has played a very good level of football at Celtic and in Europe.He’s had an excellent upbringing and still has a lot of time ahead of him. Virgil has signed a long-term contract, so clearly sees a strong future here with us. He’s young, hungry and wants to prove himself.”"

The contract between Virgil van Dijk and his new club is said to be good for the next five years. During that time, it’s not hard to imagine Southampton FC becoming a perennial contender for the Premier League’s European places. Something that both the club and player want to make happen very soon.

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