Defensive signings dominate transfer window in Eredivisie

Transfer deadline day in the Netherlands was dominated by loan deals as Eredivisie sides concentrated on boosting their defences.

The KNVB registered 157 transfer deals during January, slightly fewer than the 169 completed in the first month of 2021. That included 45 players who left Dutch clubs to play in another country’s league.

Ajax’s most eye-catching deal was for a player who will not feature in their first team in the immediate term. The 19-year-old Mo Ihattaren is returning from Italy five months after leaving PSV for Juventus following a bitter fall-out with Sampdoria, where he was on loan.

Bergwijn staying put

The champions failed to recruit Ihattaren’s former PSV team-mate Steven Bergwijn, who is back in favour at English Premier League side Tottenham after his two goals in injury time against Leicester City last month.

Utrecht, who had hoped to sign Ihattaren earlier in the month, settled for signing Henk Veerman from Heerenveen, where the striker had struggled to secure a place in the first team despite scoring eight goals this season. The club have also sold Spanish forward Adrian Dalmau to Sparta.

Feyenoord are expected to complete the signing of Philippe Sandler from Manchester City in the next few days. If the former PEC Zwolle defender is passed fit he will join the Rotterdam club until the end of the season on loan, with an option to buy.

The exiles include AZ’s Icelandic winger Albert Gu∂mundsson, who is heading for Serie A club Genoa after scoring 24 goals in 101 matches.

Sparta busy

Heading in the opposite direction is Djavan Anderson, Lazio’s Dutch-Jamaican dual national right-back, who will hope to keep PEC in the Eredivisie, while his Danish club-mate, Rizi Durnisi, is on his way to Sparta.

Sparta have also agreed a deal that sees 18-year-old striker Emanuel Emegha move to Royal Antwerp, despite technical director Gerard Nijkamp saying a transfer was ‘not our preference’.

FC Twente have recruited defender Joshua Brenet, who won two international caps for the Netherlands in 2016, from German side Hoffenheim. ‘After the departure of Jayden Oosterwolde to Parma we wanted to strengthen our squad with an extra wing back,’ technical director Jan Streuer said on the club’s website.

Swedish striker Samuel Armenteros is joining Heracles for a third spell, having played in Almelo previously between 2009 and 2013 and in the 2016/17 season.

Fortuna Sittard beat the transfer deadline to sign Greek defender Dimitrios Siovas and Curaçao international striker Charlison Benschop, who is joining his fifth Eredivisie club.

NAC Breda completed the month’s business when they secured the services of Emmen striker Jeredy Hilterman just before the midnight deadline.