They are certainly there: foreign footballers, who achieve international status through the premier league. “There’s a type of football being played here that bonds coaches love.”
Many national coaches are ready for the matches of PSV, Feyenoord and AZ in the Europa League tonight, after having seen Ajax in the Champions League last night. And not only those of the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Serbia, but also those of top countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Germany.
Ajax player Nicolas Tagliafico and PSV player Philipp Max were the last international period basic player with Argentina and Germany respectively. David Neres, also from Ajax, played seven caps for Brazil in 2019 and played for the Olympic team last week, just like PSV player Mauro Junior and Twente striker Danilo. Feyenoord player Marcos Senesi was in the pre-selection of Argentina and German national coach Jogi Löw said he would keep the door open for Mario Götze, who has revived PSV.
It is a remarkable development. Undeniably, Ajax’s excellent performances in European football have contributed to the elevated status of Dutch (top) club football in recent years. In addition, Ajax has been paying salaries that can match those of the European sub-top for a few years now and has readily invested in coaching.
Sustainable career building
But the soil at the other top clubs is also fertile for an appealing international career. Frank Arnesen, technical director of Feyenoord and formerly of PSV and Tottenham Hotspur, among others, points to the opportunity to build a sustainable career during negotiations with players and their agents. “Players can earn more faster in other competitions, but in the Netherlands the chance of playing minutes is greater and you could just as well become international here. There is a type of football played here that national coaches love. ”
The status of international is important for the market value of a player, confirms agent Henk Timmer. The real estate agency that Timmer works for made Feyenoord and Marcos Senesi enthusiastic about one and a half years ago. “Marcos is very smart. In the Netherlands he can get used to Europe and the football that is played there. In the top leagues, five others are ready for you if you underperform. The Dutch top clubs also have a good reputation in South America. ”
The artificial turf, an obstacle for some top players, is steadily disappearing and the resistance may not always be the same during premier league matches, which is usually the case in European matches. Timmer: “Then the whole of Europe will watch.”
Arnesen hopes to upgrade Senesi’s contract before he actually becomes international. “We noticed when Sinisterra debuted for Colombia, interest increased. Logical, that is also a top country. ”
Roger Schmidt
PSV acquired its high-quality internationals by appointing the highly regarded German coach Roger Schmidt. Although the arrival of Max and Götze cannot be traced back to that alone. The office that Max supervises already had good experiences in the Netherlands with other clients such as Mark Uth and Tim Handwerker.
Max could also go to Atalanta and Schalke, but PSV was seen as the club where the back could develop best, also because of the game type. Max is not a pure driver, but prefers to race from back to front. He has an excellent kicking technique with which he already gave six assists and scored twice. Schalke is experiencing a drama season, Atalanta already has an excellent left back in Max ‘fellow countryman Robin Gosens. Gosens’ route, also recently international, also went via the premier league.
“You have to make playing minutes, that’s the most important thing. Money comes naturally if you play a lot and well, “says Ali Dursun, supervisor of Frenkie de Jong and Orkun Kökcü. “The selections are smaller in the premier league and the level is just a bit easier to get into than in the top countries.”
Kökcü opted for a longer stay at Feyenoord, he became an international of Turkey this year. AZ attacker Zakaria Aboukhlal, also accompanied by Dursun, made his debut at Morocco with a goal. “Chelsea sees that, for example, because their player Hakim Ziyech is also a Moroccan international. That’s nice. ”
Crown
In addition to increasing its own market value, there is of course the honor. Playing at a final tournament sees football players as the crowning glory of their career. Ryan Babel came to Ajax for six months to reach the European Championship 2020. Davy Klaassen breathed new life into his career as an international at Ajax.
AZ supplied the last five debutants to the Dutch national team. Bruno Martins Indi let himself be hired out to the Alkmaarders with the aim of returning to Orange. PSV midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré, also wanted by Southampton, wants to go to the Africa Cup via Eindhoven. Last week he played 90 minutes for the first time in his career in Madagascar.
Arnesen can point players and their supervisors to Uros Spajic, hired by Feyenoord from Krasnodar. “He has rejoined the Serbian national team after a year without international matches. You can simply put yourself in the spotlight in the Netherlands. That sings around in the football world. “
