Marcel van der Kraan has claimed that Sven Botman’s £35 million transfer to Newcastle has been ‘surprising’ to the people of Holland, as he told Sky Sports News.
The Dutch journalist added that Botman ‘doesn’t have such a great reputation’ in his homeland, but he made it clear, nor did a certain Virgil van Dijk when he was coming through.
Whilst nothing has been confirmed yet, by either Newcastle or Lille, it seems as though it’s only a matter of time before Botman’s transfer is announced, as reported by Sky Sports.
The player himself has been hinting on Instagram that a deal is close, including his teammates, such as Renato Sanches, wishing him ‘good luck’ in his new chapter, after he said his goodbyes to the Ligue 1 side.
Nonetheless, this is what van der Kraan had to say about Newcastle being close to bringing in Botman and how the ball-playing centre-back is viewed back home.
“It has been surprising us, with the figure as well, almost 40 million Euros,” said van der Kraan.
“Sven Botman is a man who doesn’t have such a great reputation in Holland because he’s spent most of his time abroad. He left early at Ajax and he has been doing really well.
“Who does he remind me of? Maybe not the stature or the greatness, but another man that never really lived up to a great reputation in Holland is Virgil van Dijk.
“He came out of nowhere. Went abroad to Celtic and then Liverpool (after Southampton) and now we all know where he is.
“So, I do really hope Sven can achieve something similar. He has the physical presence and everything is really great for him.”
MOOD IN NEWCASTLE HAS TURNED ON ITS HEAD
This time last summer, Newcastle were heading into another season, with Mikel Ashley at the top of the tree and Steve Bruce in the dugout.
The shoulders of supporters from one side of St James’ Park to the other were slumped because there wasn’t much to look forward to – and the fact that they took months just to get a win on the board proved why.
But, fast forward to today, and the Magpies are now one of the main events of the transfer window and the club’s fans are riding a wave.
Their business during the January transfer window was game-changing because it played a huge part in them surviving relegation.
And now they are looking to head down the road to Europe, with Botman set to be their third signing of the summer, after Matt Targett’s permanent move and Nick Pope’s arrival from Burnley.
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