Southampton fans will be feeling a lot more at ease when it comes to their side's defence.
Indeed, the Saints acted quickly, after Jack Stephens dropped another poor performance in the heart of the backline against West Ham United mid-week, by snapping Keven Schlotterbeck from Augsburg to bolster their defensive options.
He has a wealth of Bundesliga experience, and should be able to slot in and perform well in such a taxing environment in the Championship, with Tonda Eckert stating that he should be able to help "straight away" after the signing was unveiled.
The South Coast giants might not be done here when it comes to defensive additions, though, as another new centre-back acquisition has been mooted, who could go on to be an instant St. Mary's success like Virgil Van Dijk, and shine at the very top of the English game in no time, like the world-class Dutchman.
Van Dijk's rise
When Van Dijk first arrived at St. Mary's as a £13m pick-up from Celtic, nobody would have envisaged that he would go on to be two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool.
There was a lot of hype in the air surrounding the young centre-back, with his former Celtic boss Ronny Deila noting that he was a "top player", but it wasn't a guarantee that he would instantly settle into his new Premier League environment and shine.
He would do just that, however, with three top-flight goals put away during his debut season with the Saints making him instantly stand out as an imperious defender in the air.
Winning 7.3 duels on average, too, he was noted as being "one of the Premier League's best centre-backs" by ex-Saints chairman Les Reed in 2016.
After only 80 games on the South Coast, he would be snapped by Liverpool for an eye-watering £75m in 2018, and the Reds haven't been made to regret this audacious move one bit, as the 96-time Netherlands international has lifted the Champions League once, and the Premier League trophy twice, as a dependable captain figure.
Now 35 years of age, he is widely recognised as being one of the top-flight's greatest ever defenders, with Southampton playing an important early part of his tale in England.
Southampton could have another Van Dijk-style transfer up their sleeve right now, as they are tipped to be in a bidding war for a highly-rated Champions League performer.
Could Southampton soon win their next Van Dijk?
Eckert's men are ambitiously being tipped to make a move for Viking colossus Henrik Falchener, with a big £8m bid apparently put forward by the Saints for the Nordic centre-back's services.
Noted as being on the shopping list of Wrexham, as well, this summer, this has the same feel as Van Dijk's move from Celtic, it were to be agreed, with the Scandinavian's ceiling well above the Saints.
Indeed, he has just helped his Eliteseren employers to qualify for the Champions League by knocking out Dinamo Zagreb over two legs, with Falchener even collecting an assist during the dramatic second-leg comeback.
Averaging a monstrous six duels won per league match last year, too, it's unusual that a Premier League outfit such as Brighton and Hove Albion haven't taken a punt on a player who has been labelled by the Viking sporting director Erik Nevland as taking "the Eliteserien by storm."
If he were to move to England and excel immediately, like Van Dijk, it wouldn't be a shock to see him land a Premier League club as his next onward destination, as the Saints potentially gain a deja-vu sense of smug satisfaction.
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