Toon interest in central defender confirmed

Posted on March 21st, 2012 | 50 Comments |

Toon interest in Virgil van Dijk.
One for the future?
According to the Dutch press, FC Groningen’s General Director has confirmed Newcastle’s interest in Virgil van Dijk.

Following on from the recent gossip linking Newcastle with AZ Alkmaar midfielder Adam Maher, they are also apparently after a Dutch centre back by the name of Virgil van Dijk.

Van Dijk – no relation to Dick – is 20 years old and currently plies his trade at FC Groningen where he is said to have had a ‘breakthrough season’ this season.

According to the Dutch press, FC Gronigen’s General Director Hans Nijland has confirmed our interest in the player and van Dijk’s agent – Martin Henk Chin – has said he is due to meet with Newcastle in April or May, although it should be stressed that the two clubs have had no official talks about van Dijk yet.

Van Dijk started his junior career at WDS19 and then moved to Willem II who didn’t really want to let him go and said:

“We have made ​​every effort to retain Virgil, but he has said he wants a new challenge and would like to develop in a different environment. We obviously wish him every success at FC Groningen.“

So he joined Groningen in 2011 on a 2 year contract, making his debut in May of that year. Then in September 2011, van Dijk signed a new contract to keep him at Groningen until summer 2015 and at the time Groningen chief Henk Fieldmate said:

“Virgil played the first half of last season in Young FC Groningen. After the winter he made rapid development and that performance led to promotion to the first team this season during which he has been regularly selected.”

As far as I can gather he’s made 24 league and 3 cup appearances for Groningen and managed to bag 5 goals in that time (3 league + 2 cup), which is a decent tally for a central defender. Given that he’s only had more or less one season of first team football, I would suggest it’s likely he’d come in as ‘one for the future’, although if he impresses Pardew enough he could find himself getting chances to play as that’s one area where we’re not particularly deep in terms of cover.

The ‘Tranfermarkt’ site has him valued at just over £1m but apparently Blackburn and Villa have also sent scouts to watch the player and interest from more than one club will probably drive the price up a little.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

50 Responses

  2. … would much prefer a talented and confident 20 year old than the error strewn work resulting from a total lack of any confidence apparent in our present incumbent. Kadar is surely worth a game right now.

  3. Well I’m glad I learnt what incumbent meant earlier this week or I could have struggled to fully grasp that previous comment. Loving the vocab Tony.

  6. van Dijk, like Maher, hopefully one for the near future, but to immediately introduce these youngsters into the starting lineup, would probably be a recipe for disaster.
    Nowt wromg in grabbing possible future stars, before the price goes up and they are persued by BIG clubs.
    But at this stage we should be looking at proven talent, to fill out a somewhat small squad, especially defenders.
    With the possibility of one or two big names being poached by BIG clubs and the rumored departure of others, looks like it’s gonna be a banner year in regard to players moving both ways.
    So we should’nt jump to conclusions, the club appear to be getting into the market quickly and if they can wrap up deals for the youngsters first, will give them time to negotiate for the proven and more expensive recruits.
    We live in interesting times!

  7. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    March 21, 2012 at 1:48 pm

    “Nice!

    Is this the same bunch that fined liverpool £20k for their little outburst earlier in the season?”

    It’s all part of the grand Southern conspiracy down in that London, Clint. The FA is a tool of the Rothschilds, who are all Geordie hating Cockneys, and wash down their jellied eels the blood of slaghtered innocents. FACT!

  8. worky,
    if only it was so simple.

    liverpool aren’t from that london, yet they get £20k fines for racist behaviour.
    It’s a bit strange, ain’t it?

  9. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    March 21, 2012 at 2:33 pm

    “liverpool aren’t from that london, yet they get £20k fines for racist behaviour.
    It’s a bit strange, ain’t it?”

    No Clint, I seem to recall that Liverpool received a £20,000, and a one match ban for Luis Suarez for making a certain hand gesture during a game, not for “racist behaviour” as you put it. He got an eight match ban and a £40,000 fine from the FA for that separately.

    We would have got a £20,000 fine if it had been a first offence, but it was a second one so it was doubled.

  10. Aye,
    you’re correct, yet it still seems a tad light to fine them £40k for racism.
    Also,
    why were us & arsenal fined £30k for the first ‘offence’, surely double would be £60k.
    Still a bunch of holes in their(fa) ‘reasoning’, if that word can be applied to fa ‘logic’?

    Something ain’t right!

  14. But where can I find that strawberry syrup here in the states? My pub team needs goals, dammit!

  16. Brilliant results mid-week. Couldn’t have really asked for better… maybe for both spuds and stoke to lose somehow. Rovers and QPR did the business for us. What were the odds that they’d both win?

  17. Tunyc

    Never fear ~Stephen is here.

    did i here someone call for super geordie? supplier of all things!!!!!!

    i can supply you some strawberry syrup if you request.
    sugar free cordial.

    if requested i can get you a special price. inc delivery.

  18. Arsenal maybe could have drawn. but three points puts champions league out of reach unless we start to win against teams around us.

    Westbrom is our bogey team so im hoping we might get something but im not expecting anything at all.

    the last three games there have been disasters.
    the match officials have been a disgrace.

  20. Who’d a’ thunk it ?
    Liverpool up by two well into the second half and QPR come from behind to win, wow !
    Appears they are our rivals for a UEFA spot, but have a hard way to go to overtake us and if they can’t beat QPR, who can they beat?
    A bit of schadenfrued here wonder how Jose Enrique and Carroll feel about ending up below us?
    Looks like the Manchester’s game may decide the league, going down to the wire i suspect.
    Strange season, when you consider sides such as QPR and Swanse plus Norwich doing so well.

  21. Yeah West Brom have been tough for us over the years, had to laugh at the chant’s a few years back at St. Jamess’ Park.
    Appeared Werst Brom were destined for the drop, in which case the Newcastle fans were singing, going down, going down, gowing down with the mackems !
    To which the West Brom fans replied, so are we, so are we , so are we!
    Good craic !

  22. Stephen C , You don’t SERIOUSLY think nufc can get in the champions league after getting beat 5-1 by fulham do you ?
    I know it’s nice to have faith but we are not all blind , and quite realistic , where we are now 6th is likely to be affected by liverpool putting it together so 7th seems more likely !

    Get well soon Stephen C oh and Muamba best wishes too !

  23. nzed,
    it’s about points/position mate, not who ya’ beat/lose to & by how many.
    manure were spanked by manc, arse by manure qed.

    On the schadenfreude front, enrique gaffed for the winner last night, the look on his face when he landed on his arse whilst watching the ball go through to an open qpr player.
    Not that i’d take any sort of pleasure from such things.

  24. Appears (Liverool) are our rivals for a UEFA spot … don’t they already qualify by the league cup?

  25. I assumed (hoped) Ba’s degenerative knee problem would deter preditors – but chelski appear very kneen, and I’m afraid they have more money than sense.

    I can’t see a bidding war over him, so if they offer then they’ll get him.

    It appears not to be just a question of wages, but of signing on fees for him & his agent – neither got one when he signed for us, but expect to share £3.5m if he leaves.

  28. That would be nice supermac. Would love to see sturidge on tyneside.

    Chuffed to bits to see liverpool get beat. Poor old carrol and jose. Must be wishing they still played for a big club like ours.

    HWTL

  29. No way would i swap Ba with sturridge, not even with £10m coming our way too.

    Ba pisses all over stutter-idge, surely!

  30. glentoon says:
    March 22, 2012 at 12:10 pm

    “Must be wishing they still played for a big club like ours.”

    Glentoon, Liverpool, Carroll and Enrique have already won a trophy this season, something we haven’t done for well over forty years. They are also in the Europa League for next year too and it’s still considered a very poor season for them. They’ve won 11 league titles, 6 FA Cups, 8 League Cups, 12 Charity shields, 3 UEFA Cups, 3 Cup Winner’s cups and five European Cups / Champion’s Leagues since we last won a proper trophy, the Inter City Fairs Cup. How they must envy us. :-)

  31. Sorry i was going on about tiote, no chance would i swap old demba ba for sturidge.

    As for liverpool joke all i was meaning was that its looking more and more likely that we are going to finish above them, also we a team going forward where they going? Backwards

    HWTL

  33. glentoon says:
    March 22, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    “As for liverpool joke all i was meaning was that its looking more and more likely that we are going to finish above them, also we a team going forward where they going? Backwards”

    Glentoon, Whoever’s going forwards or backwards. I would rather be seventh with a League Cup in my pocket and a guaranteed place in Europe next year over being sixth with nine games to go and only a chance of Europe. Wouldn’t you?

  34. You would HAVE to live in liverpool for that though mate,
    think about it?

    :lol:

  36. supermac,

    aye, it is!

    Lovely people too!
    I was just joking mate.
    I know some great scousers of both hues.

  38. supermac,

    now that is weird, isn’t it?

    I have a proper laugh down here when i meet people from the NW (manc’s, scousers etc.), they say ‘Oh! are you from the north too?’, i always say ‘aye, but you’re not, ya’ from the north midlands’, they find it difficult to argue.
    :lol:

  39. NZed

    i take everything into account when i make my comments.

    look at chelseas run to the end of the season. i mentioned the other day they have a potential to lose out on 18 points against top 6 sides and they have already lost out on 3 against man c.

    spurs are hitting a sticky patch and arent too far away.

    arrsenal are scorching so i think they will probably finish 3rd.

    now thus being the case i think 4th spot is now hotly under contention. liverpool and chelsea are all claiming they are reaching for that fourth spot if they can see it, they why cant we?

    spurs were lucky against Stoke.

    But and i say but, we were lucky against Nowich, QPR, Wigan……….. the list is endless.

    yes i do think we can reach 4th but and i…… we would have to drasticaly have to start to play football, something that has eluded us lately.

    in reality no we probably wont reach champions league i don’t think we have the momentum on our side. but either do chelsea, liverpool and at the moment…. spurs.

    so with this blip seemingly apearing in the armour can we capitolise on this? my thinking is with chris foy our ref at the weekend we will be lucky to end the game with 11 men on the pitch and losing by any less than 3-0.

    west brom isnt a good ground of late the officials have been obismal.

    i remember two games in sucesion when we were in the championship. 2-2 draw at home and a 4-2 loss in the FA cup. we got 30 seconds of highlights on ITV and with a sending off and two penalties to them the whole game was a disgrace. i remember that game well. it seemed to be the same this season. so much so ive written to Adrian Chiles and Frank Skinner to ask them if they would mind not offering free tickets to match officials in future.

    and TUNYC
    i can certainly work something out. if you email my personal assistant (worky) he will forward you my email address. (use the contact button at the top of the page)

  40. Stephen C
    You got your title back as the most longwinded, at least mine have a semblance of structure, not a rambling disorganised bunch of opinions.
    I would add a smiley but think they are childish.

  41. The requirements in order to qualify for either of the two european tournaments, are a mystery to me and seem to change each season.
    Liverpool have qualified (so far) for the UAFA cup,
    by winning the League cup ?
    And obviously the FA cup winners will qualify for what ?
    Then we have the top four, who qualify for the championship, no ?
    So, what about the fifth and sith place sides, or have i got it all wrong ?

  42. chuck when you take into account my comments are separated by three spaces between each line i think it is safe to say that you are now the crown prince of blogsville.
    and my comments were reasons and facts due to why i think we may be able to qualify for a 4th spot.

    as for europe i will set the record straight

    Liverpool have already qualified,they may have to enter into a qualifying round of which there are three, some positions enter the qualifying rounds sooner than others as far as im aware the FA cup doesn’t. it goes directly into the europa league.

    but uefa only has 4 places for each country in each competition.

    not all teams will enter into the group stages.

    there are three qualifying rounds. but only one team actually enters into round 3 the other team get a bi into round 2 etc,

    uefa have a table concerning what competitions it rates higher than others with the FA cup seeming to be ranked higher than the league cup and finishing 5th, but i may be wrong of the order

    its not all plain sailing in the champions league either.
    for instance if chelsea win the champions league and have not qualified for the champions league they enter the champions league as holders.

    uefa states that only 4 teams are allowed to enter a competition from one country so who ever finishes 4th is demoted into the Europa league at the expense of chelsea(should they win the Champions cup.)

    for us to qualify for Europe we need all teams who play in the FA cup final to have already qualified for Europe if we are to finish 6th.

    if for example Bolton lose in the final to Man city that extra Europa place goes to Bolton.

    so to make things easier for you chuck, for the toon to enter europe via a qualifying round(which is still no guarantee we will make the group stages)

    we need

    to finish 5th (directly into Europe)

    to finish 6th (we need the two teams who are in the FA cup final to have already qualified for Europe i.e. Top 5 and Liverpool)

    to finish 7th (same as above but we would need no other team to finish above us who haven’t qualified for Europe. I.E. Stoke.

    now once all teams have qualified for europe there is a reshuffle. not all teams are give the spot they gained originally.

    for instance if a the losing finalist in the FA cup have a lower league position than a team in 5th or possible 6th. the lower positioned team would switch europa qualifying rounds. that also applies if the team in 5th beat a team in the FA cup final lower in the league as themselves.

    but that would not have an effect on us this season as that would also be dependent on a team from england winning the Europa league and qualifying for the champions league, i.e. if man c or man u won the europa league.

    confused?

  43. lol i know im confused give me the headlines newcastle into europe everything is sorted and one happy toon fan out of many :)

  44. Aye,

    those games v wba were a massive rip off.
    They do seem to get ‘up’ for playing against a big team though.

  45. England have 7 european places –
    4 champions league (2 direct,2 through qualification)
    and 3 Europa league places = PL 5th, FA cup and League cup

    Prior to 2009, FA Cup runners-up would automatically enter the UEFA Cup when the FA Cup winners were already in Europe by any route.
    Now the Wembley losers only play in the Europa League if they have lost to a team which has qualified for the Champions League.

    As the PL table stands 1st-5th plus Liverpool qualify
    leaving one place
    If spurs, chelski or liverpool meet in the FA cup then NUFC qualify in 6th place – or if Liverpool overtake us we still qualify in 7th place

    otherwise we miss out
    – worst case is if 5under1and reach the final
    – and qualify as loosers!

  46. you know, that’s still not right!
    “the Wembley losers only play in the Europa League if they have lost to a team which has qualified for the Champions League” and only 1 of spurs & chelski meet that
    – so it doesn’t look as good!

  47. Stephen C
    Ok! settle for Crown Prnce, though an anti monarchist republican.
    I’m now more confused, having read the contrary opinions above, as to exactly what we have to do to qualify.
    Being the situation has so many varying permutations, guess i’ll just wait till it’s over and someone sez, were in ! or oot!

  49. Stephen C says:
    March 23, 2012 at 2:53 pm

    “how about this one for you?”

    So San Marino, which has a population about the same as Durham City, can have a team in the Champion’s League, and two teams in the Europa League potentially?