Newcastle Transfers: 7 Centre-Backs Pardew Must Consider Signing

7. Virgil Van Dijk

Current Club: Celtic The 22 year old Dutchman would fit the remit thanks to his youthful age and potential to become more valuable at Newcastle, and reports continue to link the player with a move south of the border. He is strong, big and would challenge the first team immediately, presumably pushing Steven Taylor out of contention. The Concerns Newcastle have bought a centre-half who was made to look imperious in the SPL before, and the case of Jean-Alain Boumsong will remain a morality tale long after the next terrible centre-back plays in black and white. As Southampton are about to discover with their new 'keeper, Celtic simply do not get challenged in defensive terms as much as they would in the Premier League. There is a reason Fraser Forster only let 22 goals in last year: he only had to deal with a fraction of testing shots, and his actual ability will be up for closer scrutiny at Southampton. The same could be said of Van Dijk. He might look a good prospect but the SPL is not the right place to evaluate.