NafisaCeltic pull off surprise transfer masterstroke as Martin O’Neill lands highly-rated international captain after major European swoop
Celtic’s transfer business continues to gather serious momentum as the club pushes to strengthen Martin O’Neill’s squad ahead of another demanding campaign on multiple fronts.
The Scottish champions have already shown a willingness to invest heavily in young talent with high ceilings, while also ensuring the first-team squad remains equipped to compete domestically and in Europe.
With supporters still discussing the arrivals of several summer recruits, another move has quietly emerged from the background and quickly developed into one of the club’s most intriguing pieces of business.
The player in question arrives with a growing reputation on the continent, having spent years developing within some of the most respected academy systems in European football.
His journey has taken him through the youth structures of Ajax, Vitesse and PSV Eindhoven, while his performances at international level have also attracted significant attention.
Despite still being a teenager, he has already earned leadership responsibilities for his country and is viewed as one of the brightest midfield prospects in Dutch football.
Now Celtic have moved decisively to secure his future.
The club confirmed the signing of 19-year-old midfielder Joel van den Berg from PSV Eindhoven on a four-year contract.
The Dutch Under-19 international joins Celtic after three years with PSV, having previously developed at both Vitesse and Ajax before making the move to Eindhoven.
Van den Berg has also captained the Netherlands Under-19 national team, highlighting the regard in which he is held back home.
He becomes the latest addition to O’Neill’s squad following the arrivals of Mika Baur from Paderborn and Oliver Sorensen from Parma.
Speaking after the deal was completed, O’Neill said: “We are really pleased to bring Joel to the club.
“He is a hungry young player with real talent and technical ability and I believe he has a very exciting future ahead of him.
“I think he is a player that our fans will enjoy watching and I know he will be an important addition to our squad.”
Van den Berg also spoke of his excitement after completing the move to Glasgow.
“It feels amazing and I’m very excited to start.
“I’m very excited to meet the rest of the team and to train with them and, obviously, I want to play many games and show myself to the fans.
“I want to show the best version of myself and develop as a player and also as a person, of course, and just make the fans proud.
“I’m a box-to-box midfielder. I also run back, but I also go forward. I think I put a lot of intensity in my game. I also have the ability to provide assists and also score goals. I think I have a lot of power in the duals, have good physicality, so I’m strong. I think that describes me as a midfielder.
“Celtic is a very big club and they have to be champions. So playing for the champions is, I think at this age, a very big step for me and very important.”
Celtic will now hope the highly-rated Dutch youngster can continue his rapid development in Glasgow and eventually become another success story in the club’s growing list of young European recruits.
Nafisa
