Southampton struck transfer gold with Celtic deal - Sunderland were the big losers | OneFootball

Southampton made a substantial profit on Virgil van Dijk after his exceptional spell at St Mary's

During the 2010s, Southampton were one club that became a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, largely down to a plethora of transfer masterstrokes.

Saints eventually regained their top-flight status in the summer of 2012 following a seven-year absence and back-to-back promotions from League One, and they were able to preserve it and eventually break into Europe during an 11-year period.

Many players who featured for the South Coast club during this era have since been dubbed as 'prime Barclaysmen' or part of the 'streets won't forget' phenomenon that constantly circles among supporters on social media.

After three years of steady finishes back in the Premier League, during which the likes of Dušan Tadić, Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama became cult heroes with Saints supporters after their respective arrivals, they would go on to hit the jackpot in the transfer market once more with a defender who has since gone on to become one of world football's elite performers.

Southampton FC struck transfer gold after beating Sunderland to Virgil van Dijk transfer

Virgil van Dijk had generated plenty of attention due to his consistent performances with SPFL giants, Celtic, having initially moved to the Glasgow outfit from Groningen for just £2.6m in the summer of 2013.

With the vast majority of his 115 appearances, which yielded a remarkable return of 15 goals across all competitions in just two seasons, being such a high standard, the defender was named in the SPFL Team of the Season in both campaigns as a result.

He would then alert several sides south of the border to his signature after the Bhoys' exit in the UEFA Champions League play-off round on aggregate to Malmo, with the likes of Hull City and Sunderland among those interested in the centre-back during various points of his time at Celtic.

The Black Cats had reportedly tabled a £6m bid for van Dijk, with Tom White of Sky Sports and lifelong Sunderland supporter later revealing that the North East club had agreed terms with their prime target, before owner Ellis Short pulled the plug on the transfer, allowing Saints to land his signature on Deadline Day for £13m on a four-year contract.

Virgil van Dijk capture helped Southampton FC make a major profit on future Liverpool captain

Van Dijk became an immediate hit at St Mary's for his dominant performances at the back alongside Jose Fonte, with Ronald Koeman's side achieving a spot in the UEFA Europa League the following season, with the defender named as the club's Players' Player and Fans' Player of the Year in the process.

The 6'4" man once again showcased his worth on the European stage, including a goal at St Mary's against Inter Milan, before being named club captain following Fonte's departure to LOSC Lille. However, Saints would miss his presence in their EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley, with the Red Devils winning 3-2 courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimović's late header.

After making his mark on the club and the league, several of the 'big six' targeted transfer raids of their own for van Dijk in Claude Puel's first transfer window in charge, which included an illegal approach from Liverpool prior to the international handing in a transfer request.

With Saints struggling for form under the Frenchman, the final of his 80 appearances for the club came against Leicester City in December 2017, eventually moving to Anfield for a then-world-record transfer fee for a defender of £75m.

In the past eight seasons on Merseyside, van Dijk's ability has only come to the fore even more in terms of his ball-playing and defensive nous, as well as his leadership abilities.

The Netherlands' and Reds captain has won all major honours you can possibly win at Anfield, including two Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, Club World Cup as well as the winner in the EFL Cup final back in 2023/24 against Chelsea at Wembley.

Van Dijk has also won several individual accolades since his move from Southampton, including Premier League Player of the Season and UEFA Mens' Player of the Year in 2018/19.

His move from Celtic is arguably the biggest transfer masterstroke in Saints' illustrious history of talent, with his first breakthrough in the English top-flight eventually resulting in a legacy of being one of the division's all-time greats.

All that whilst Sunderland look on wondering what could have been if their bid had landed.