So lets address the elephant. Who could replace Virg? If we expect age will begin to show over the next 18 months, it would be ideal to bring in whoever can start to fill his role next summer (forgetting the Konate situation for a moment).
If we think of Virg’s own trajectory, he had 2 successful years at Southampton after leaving Celtic aged 24; including POTY in his first season, then handed in a transfer request six months after he was made captain. He was not considered ‘elite’ as a youngster and before Celtic had mixed success but it was clear he was a very good defender by 24-25.
What 24-26 year old defenders fit the bill?