Benjamin Arthur knows exactly what he's doing. The 20-year-old Brentford centre-back completed a loan move to Celtic on deadline day, then sat down with the press and dropped the name every Parkhead supporter still says with a certain reverence.
"People like to say I play like Virgil," Arthur told BBC Sport. "We have the same style. I think he's an amazing defender and I definitely look up to him the most."
Bold words from a player with three senior appearances to his name. But then again, Van Dijk himself was hardly a finished product when Celtic paid Groningen £2.6 million for him in the summer of 2013. He was raw, largely unknown in his own country, and thrown into the deep end when Kelvin Wilson unexpectedly left.
The path from Lillington to Glasgow
Arthur's story has a few of those "nearly didn't make it" chapters that scouts love to tell after the fact. He grew up in Lillington, Warwickshire, started as a midfielder at Leamington Hibernian and Coventry Sphinx, then joined Peterborough United's academy at 13. According to his Wikipedia profile, the club considered releasing him at one stage. He hung on, won a scholarship, and helped Peterborough's U18s win the Professional Development League Cup in 2022-23.
Then came the move that changed things. On the final day of the August 2023 window, Brentford's B team paid what was reported at the time as close to £1 million — nearly a record for a League One scholar — with add-ons potentially pushing it much higher. A stress fracture in his back wiped out the first half of his debut season. He came back, played 34 games in 2024-25, won Brentford's U21 Player of the Year, and helped the B team lift the Professional Development League trophy.
Brentford's own site lists his defensive duel success rate last season at 71%, aerial duel success at 86%, and passing accuracy at 88.3%. For a 6'2" defender who used to play midfield, the ball-playing numbers stand out.
What Celtic are actually getting
Arthur was promoted to Brentford's first team in July 2025, signing a six-year contract. He made two League Cup appearances and started in the FA Cup third round against Sheffield Wednesday — a 2-0 win. He's an England U20 international, having earned his first cap against Japan in November 2025.
None of which guarantees he'll play at Celtic. Liam Scales and Auston Trusty have been the regular centre-back pairing under Martin O'Neill. Dane Murray, a homegrown youngster, started against Falkirk recently when Trusty was suspended.
Arthur seems aware of the competition. "I've heard a lot of things and I know a few people here, from what they've said it's very competitive, there's an aggressive side," he said. "Pressure has always been part of the game but it doesn't really affect me at all."
The Van Dijk comparison — where it holds and where it doesn't
It's worth remembering what Van Dijk actually did at Celtic. Two Scottish Premiership titles. Fifteen goals in 115 appearances. Named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year twice. He left for Southampton for £13 million in September 2015, then went on to Liverpool for a then-world-record £75 million.
Van Dijk himself told The Overlap with Gary Neville that Celtic was where everything clicked. "I really feel that my step to Celtic was something based on a feeling with the fans, the club, the community," he said. "It really feels like it is a way of living at Celtic. With Liverpool, it is exactly the same."
Arthur shares the physical profile — tall, composed, comfortable stepping out with the ball. Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane described him as "composed and a physical presence." On his own site, Brentford note he scored twice from set pieces last season, echoing Van Dijk's aerial threat.
But Van Dijk was 22 when he arrived at Parkhead. Arthur is 20, with far less senior football behind him. The template is there. Whether the content matches is another question entirely.
The bigger picture at Parkhead
Celtic's season has been turbulent, to put it politely. Brendan Rodgers left. Martin O'Neill came in and won seven of eight matches. Wilfried Nancy replaced him, lasted 33 days, lost six of eight, including a 3-1 League Cup final defeat to St Mirren and a damaging Old Firm loss to Rangers. O'Neill came back on January 5 for his second interim spell.
The Hoops trail Hearts in the Premiership and have already suffered their most league defeats in a single campaign since 2012-13. The January window brought Arthur alongside striker Junior Adamu (loan from Freiburg) and winger Joel Mvuka (from Lorient) — reinforcements that suggest the board knows this squad needs bodies.
Arthur is a gamble in the way all young loanees are. He might not get regular minutes. He might surprise everyone. Van Dijk was a gamble too, once.
"I am really honoured and happy to be joining Celtic," Arthur said via the club's website. "It is one of the world's biggest clubs. I know we have a quality squad with guys who have won so much already, and I can't wait to join them and hopefully play my part."
The words are carefully polished, sure. But if he can defend half as well as his hero did in that same jersey, Celtic will take it.
