January transfer targets: Eredivisie Market

The transfer market is open again and things are stiring in the Dutch football league, the Eredivisie. In this blog you will find the hottest transfer targets, rumours and the best prospects around in The Netherlands.

Let's start with the targets, in my previous blogs I made lists of hot prospects and some of the names in that list are now playing for English clubs. Buttner(ManU) and Assaidi(Liverpool) for example. This winter a couple of new youngsters are on the verge of making the transfer to the EPL. Here are some of the names:

Jeremain Lens(PSV), 25 year old striker and right winger has been linked with several EPL clubs this summer and the rumours haven't subsided ever since. With Tim Matavz not fit, Lens was the starting striker in the beginning of this season and he delivered. Making it to the national team and scored in the qualification match against Romania:
[video=youtube;i4B32ebASqY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4B32ebASqY[/video]

This fast, agile and versatile striker has a contract till summer 2015 and will cost a big sum of money, a bid of at least 9 million pounds will be needed to pursuade PSV Eindhoven to sell him in January. Could go up as much as 15 million pounds looking at his contract.

Dries Mertens(PSV Eindhoven), 25 years old LW/RW fills the transferrumour page every day: Spurs, Liverpool and almost every other EPL club were linked with Mertens in 2012. His contract with PSV ends in 2016 and will cost an arm and a leg for the club that wants him. He has been on fire in 2012 scoring on a weekly basis. The main problem is that he has a bit of a 'Robben' syndrome. He only knows one trick, perfected it to produce goals, but once any centre back figured out how to stop him he is rendered useless on the pitch. Last time that happened PSV lost 2-0 in the away game at Ajax Amsterdam. But being a transfer hype I estimate he will cost any club around 11 million quid, possibly up to 16 seen his contract lenght.

Christian Eriksen(Ajax), this 21 year old Danish super talent has made the transfer rumour list a couple of times in recent years. The attacking midfielder has been linked with a lot of team with Manchester United and Arsenal in particular. ManU bought Kagawa this summer and the Spurs got themselves Dembele which tempered the stories in the papers. In December he was linked again with a couple of EPL clubs for example Liverpool. But this young Danish will cost a lot more than the listed above: around 15 million pounds. Maybe up to 20 milion pounds but that seems unlikely as his contract runs out in July 2014.

Kevin Strootman(PSV), this 22 year old midfielder career skyrocketed after a transfer from Sparta Rotterdam to FC Utrecht. Where he played alongside Dries Mertens and created a stir in the 2010-2011 season in the Europa League. They drew 1-1 home and away against Liverpool, aided by the FC Utrecht goal you all may know: Michel Vorm. Mertens and Strootman stayed together and transferred at the same time to PSV Eindhoven in 2011 for a combined sum of 15 million euro's(around 12 million pounds). Strootman went from the second division to a top Dutch league club in 12 months and to the national team in just 18 months since his departure at Sparta Rotterdam. Estimated value: 10 million pounds.

Douglas(FC Twente), Douglas Franco Teixeira Dutch Nationalized Brazillian defender of age 24 has been heavily linked with Newcastle United throughout 2012. The Geordies were unable to sign him this summer due to his nationalization status, Douglas had to stay with a Dutch club untill the end of August to become a Dutch citizen. In January this newly Dutch defender is now on the market as his contract runs out in July this summer. In the past six months he had to take over captaincy in the defense as veteran defender Wisgerhof was benched by Steve McLaren. Since then his bad temper seems to be under control and he looks a lot more mature on the pitch.
FC Twente want to make some profit while they can but they won't get the jackpot. Estimated value: 3 to 5 million pounds.


Now these five players may be the hottest targets in the Eredivisie, there is a huge amount of talent flying under the radar that deserve to be mentioned. The foremost are:

Ajax:
- Siem de Jong, CM/AM/CF/ST 23 years old captain of the Dutch Eredivisie Champions of 2012, 10 million pounds
- Toby Alderweireld CB/RB way off the level of Vertonghen but still a decent defender, 8 million pounds

Vitesse:
- Wilfred Bony, 23 yeard old striker from Ivory Coast, goal magnet and current top scorer in the league, 10-15 million pounds
- Tomas Kalas, 19 year old Czech defender, on loan from Chelsea, extremely fast and strong, 7-12 million.

Feyenoord:
- Stefan de Vrij, 20 year old defender, played for the nation team, linked with Chelsea, 7-10 million pounds
- Bruno Martins Indi, 20 year old CB/RB, scored for the national team, 5-8 million pounds
- Jordy Clasie, DM/CM/AM 20 year old talent, just a tiny bit bigger than Anita, 6-8 million pounds.

FC Twente:

- Dusan Tadic, 24 year old Serbian AM/LW, very creative midfielder, 8 million pounds
- Roberto Rosales, 24 year old RB rom Venezuela, makes a lot of errors but still hot in the press, 5 million
- Nacer Chadli, 23 years old Belgian LW/AM, not as creative as Tadic but still good, 7 million pounds

SC Heerenveen:
- Filip Djuricic, AM/CF 20 years old, massive talent but a bit selfish and complacent at times. 6-8 million pounds.

AZ Alkmaar
- Adam Maher, AM/CM 19 years old dubbed the new Wesley Sneijder, PSV is interested, 7-9 million pounds
- Jozy Altidore, US striker 23 years old. 5-6 million pounds
- Roy Beerens, very talented winger, 25 years old, 3-5 million pounds <- bargain


And there you have it, an oversight of all the targets, potential targets and prospects in the Eredivisie.

 

Good post Cove. Hope we get Douglas on board, although some of the younger ones could be options.
We haven't put a foot wrong with Dutch based players yet.

 

An excellent post as usual Cove, informative and considerate, I shall rep you when out of jail.

 

Would love to see Meertens but he will be very expensive and I think he would want to leave for a champions league team. I think Wijnaldum is worth a shout, 21 years old goal scoring midfielder, big big future ahead of him.

 

Had a very rough first half of the season, has regressed dramatically in the past 3 months. He looks like he lost all motivation and eagerness on the pitch. If the name isn't on the list, it's for a reason.

 

As always, great to read and very informative...cheers Cove!

 

Great thread