West Brom fumbled huge Celtic transfer opportunity, Liverpool now laughing: View | OneFootball

When it comes to discussing the best centre-back in the Premier League right now, and perhaps the world, Virgil van Dijk is a name that will crop up.

Virgil van Dijk’s rise to one of the world’s best

The 32-year-old started out at Groningen before joining Celtic, and it was his time with the Glasgow giants that brought van Dijk to the attention of Premier League clubs, with Southampton winning the race for his signature.

His outstanding performances on the south coast prompted Liverpool to splash out £75m to bring him to Anfield, and whilst it was a fee that raised eyebrows at the time, van Dijk has justified that over the past six years.

During his time with Livepool, the Dutchman has won it all at club level, which has cemented his status as one of the best around.

West Brom will have Virgil van Dijk transfer regret

In terms of finances, Southampton were the big winners from van Dijk’s career, as they signed him for around £13m, before selling him two-and-a-half years later for almost five times that.

Yet, that could easily have been West Brom, as it has been revealed that Albion were very aware of the talent of the then-Celtic centre-back.

Former boss Tony Pulis has confirmed that the recruitment team at The Hawthorns had put van Dijk’s name forward.

As well as that, ex-scout Stuart Millar revealed he had watched the defender around 20 times for West Brom, and their reluctance to make a move for the player was a factor in his decision to quit.

Quite why Albion didn’t pursue van Dijk is unclear, but the £13m fee that Celtic received shouldn’t have been outside their budget, even if it had been a substantial sum at the time.

Another factor may have been the view that many in this country have of Scottish football, but the reality was that van Dijk was playing for a huge club in Celtic, and his performances were superb.

West Brom’s fortunes could have changed

As well as missing out on a potential huge sale, Albion’s future could have been very different had van Dijk arrived.

The team would go on to be relegated in 2018, which was van Dijk’s third campaign in English football, and it’s hard to imagine a team with him in defence would have gone down.

Plus, having a player of his calibre in defence could have allowed a different style of play, as Albion could have played with a higher line.

Of course, any big sale would also have given Albion more funds to reinvest into the squad, although Southampton’s struggles years later shows that nothing is guaranteed.

Clubs up and down the country will have stories of near misses, and there’s no doubt more quality players that Albion have passed on.

West Brom, and their miserable recent history may have looked a bit different had they pushed to bring him to The Hawthorns.