Reported Celtic target Milan van Ewijk could be on the move after all.
The 20-year-old ADO Den Haag full-back had purportedly not been interested in leaving his club. In what seemed like alarming comments at the time, the right-back said he wasn’t interested in moving out of Holland [VoetballZone]. That’s put Dutch sides Heerenveen and FC Twente on high-alert.
What’s interesting, however, is that German 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt have also reportedly logged their interest. According to Voetball International, Heerenveen are the main suitors for van Ewijk. However, it seems that the youngster could be tempted to leave his comfort zone after all.
Celtic were initially linked with the right-back by the Scottish Sun, who claimed the Hoops had the youngster watched.
Valued at just £675k by Transfermarkt, van Ewijk has made 27 appearances in the Eredivisie this season. His agents, Global Football Management, are very much Netherlands-focused. However, some of their clients have gone on to sign for clubs in Italy, Sweden and Cyprus.
Potential deal for van Ewijk twitches back into life
The diminutive right-back has twitched antennae across mainland Europe. Back at the start of March, Voetball International had reported [VI]:
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“Schalke 04, Hamburger SV and SV Darmstadt have been following Van Ewijk’s performance from Germany for some time, while the Scottish Celtic and the Belgian KAA Gent have recently also expressed their interest.”
Formerly of the Feyenoord academy, van Ewijk is still a very raw prospect. His distribution isn’t particularly impressive for his position. According to WhoScored?, he’s averaging 74% pass accuracy, with only two league assists in 20-21.
His defensive output is much more impressive, though. A versatile defender who can also play at centre-back, van Ewijk averages over 3 tackles and clearances per 90. Additionally, he chips in with interceptions and nearly 1 block a game.
That compares well to Jeremie Frimpong. The former Celtic man averaged just 1.2 tackles and 0.5 interceptions in the Scottish Premiership this season [WhoScored?]. From a strictly defensive point of view, van Ewijk is a clear upgrade on the Bayer Leverkusen star.
So, with Celtic needing reinforcements, the 20-year-old could be offered a tempting deal by Celtic. His deal at ADO Den Haag runs out in 2022, and Jonjoe Kenny isn’t likely to sign long-term.