It’s fair to say that English clubs have had, at best, mixed success when it’s come to signing players from the Dutch league, the Eredivisie. For every Robin van Persie, there’s been a Jozy Altidore. For every Luis Suárez, there’s been a Vincent Janssen.
Here, we take a look at every permanent incoming from the Eredivisie into the Premier League in the last ten years (since the start of the 2009-10 season until the end of 2018-19), and rate how successful their move proved to be:
Thomas Vermaelen
Transfer: Ajax to Arsenal Time of Signing: June 2009 Fee: £10.8 million Arsenal Appearances/Goals: 150/15
Kicking off with one of the more successful bunch, Belgian international Vermaelen enjoyed a five-year spell at the Emirates Stadium, where he was quickly given the nickname ‘the Verminator’.
The central defender became Gunners captain after van Persie left for Manchester United in 2012, but suspensions and his own loss of form thereafter meant he soon found himself behind Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker in the pecking order.
He left for Barcelona for £15 million in August 2014, but is still remembered fondly in North London. 8/10
Enric Vallès
Transfer: NAC Breda to Birmingham City Time of Signing: July 2010 Fee: Free Birmingham Appearances/Goals: 2/0
Spanish midfielder Vallès left NAC Breda for the Midlands in July 2010, but made just two outings for the Blues, both in the League Cup.
A stress fracture to his foot the following December put paid to any further opportunities that season, before making no appearances for the club the season after, when they were in the Championship.
He was then released, and has since played in Spain, the United States and Norway. Given he was a freebie, though, it’s hard to call it too disastrous a signing. 3/10
Ronnie Stam
Transfer: FC Twente to Wigan Athletic Time of Signing: July 2010 Fee: £2 million Wigan Appearances/Goals: 52/1
Stam left his homeland to joined Roberto Martínez’s Latics the same summer, and played semi-regularly at right-back during his three seasons at the DW Stadium
But he left for Standard Liege in 2013 following Wigan’s relegation to the Championship, and is now retired after a year-long spell back in Holland with NAC Breda ended in 2016. 6/10
Cheick Tioté
Transfer: FC Twente to Newcastle United Time of Signing: August 2010 Fee: £3.5 million Newcastle Appearances/Goals: 156/1
On the back of representing Ivory Coast at the 2010 World Cup, midfielder Tioté was a late summer arrival from the Eredivisie, joining newly-promoted Newcastle.
A hugely popular figure on Tyneside, he spent six-and-a-half years with the club, and is perhaps best remembered for his stunning late equaliser against Arsenal in February 2011, to level the scores at 4-4 when Newcastle had been four down at half-time.
Tioté tragically passed away in June 2017 after suffering a cardiac arrest while training with his next club, Beijing Enterprises, but the number of tributes paid to him by those connected with Newcastle reflected how loved a player he was at the club. 7/10
Mousa Dembélé
Transfer: AZ to Fulham Time of Signing: August 2010 Fee: £5 million Fulham Appearances/Goals: 75/7
An excellent addition to the Premier League, midfielder Dembélé was an integral part of Fulham’s midfield under first Mark Hughes and later Martin Jol, while his long-range strike in an FA Cup win against Tottenham Hotspur earned him the club’s ‘goal of the season’ award in his first year.
He left Craven Cottage after two seasons for Spurs, who triggered his £15 million release clause in August 2012, and went on to play almost 250 times for Tottenham.
Costing Fulham just £5 million, he represents one of the best pieces of business in this category, providing superb value for money. 7/10
Carlos Salcido
Transfer: PSV to Fulham Time of Signing: August 2010 Fee: £3.6 million Fulham Appearances/Goals: 26/0
A less successful arrival at Craven Cottage from the Eredivisie was Mexican left-back Salcido, who is perhaps a cautionary tale of the risks of signing players based on their World Cup performances the previous summer.
Salcido caught the eye in South Africa, but spent just one season in England with reports that he was unsettled following a burglary at his house. He then returned to his homeland with Tigres UNAL the following summer. 5/10
David Carney
Transfer: FC Twente to Blackpool Time of Signing: September 2010 Fee: Free Blackpool Appearances/Goals: 11/0
Of the 12 summer signings made by newly-promoted Blackpool, Australian winger Carney was one of the less memorable of them.
Having previously played in England for Oldham Athletic, Halifax Town, Sheffield United and Norwich City, Carney featured in just 11 matches for the Seasiders, and left the following summer after their immediate relegation to the second tier. 4/10
Luis Suárez
Transfer: Ajax to Liverpool Time of Signing: January 2011 Fee: £22.8 million Liverpool Appearances/Goals: 133/82
Liverpool’s most expensive signing for a few hours before Andy Carroll’s catastrophic £35 million move was completed, deadline-day addition, Suárez is rightly regarded by many as one of the best players to have graced the Premier League stage.
He scored all sorts of goals for fun, including 11 strikes in five matches against Norwich City; one of which came from 45 yards to complete a hat-trick, and broke Robbie Fowler’s record of 28 in a Premier League season in 2013-14, when Liverpool were pipped to the title by Manchester City.
But his brilliance must be tempered with the caveat that Suárez often found himself in the wrong sort of headlines while at Liverpool, such as the racial abuse incident with Patrice Evra in October 2011 and biting Branislav Ivanović in April 2013.
For that, it’s hard to give him a perfect score, but he is still the most successful import from the Eredivisie to the Premier League. 9/10
Michel Vorm
Transfer: FC Utrecht to Swansea City Time of Signing: August 2011 Fee: £1.5 million Swansea Appearances/Goals: 97/0
Another Dutch success, goalkeeper Vorm proved a fantastic addition for Swansea in their first season in the Premier League.
Vorm and his 13 clean sheets helped them comfortably beat the drop and saw him win Supporters’ Player of the Year, Players’ Player and the Away Player awards at the end of the campaign.
He spent two more years in South Wales before moving to Tottenham, where he largely played second fiddle to Huge Lloris. 8/10
Bryan Ruiz
Transfer: FC Twente to Fulham Time of Signing: August 2011 Fee: £10.8 million Fulham Appearances/Goals: 108/12
Costa Rican Ruiz came with a big reputation and price tag, and perhaps did not quite live up to expectations even if he provided fleeting moments of pure quality.
Goals like his sublime chip against Everton in October 2011 were few and far between, and after being loaned out for the second half of the 2013-14 season, in which Fulham were relegated, he was then sold in the summer of 2015, having spent a year in the Championship with the Cottagers. 5/10
Brett Holman
Transfer: AZ to Aston Villa Time of Signing: July 2012 Fee: Free Aston Villa Appearances/Goals: 29/2
Aston Villa certainly went Dutch with the summer signings in 2012 following Paul Lambert’s appointment as manager, starting with Australian winger Holman.
Holman had in, fact, signed a pre-contract agreement with the club during Alex McLeish’s time as boss, and has since admitted he felt ‘doomed from day one’ at Villa.
He spent just one season in England before his contract was terminated the following summer. 4/10
Karim El Ahmadi
Transfer: Feyenoord to Aston Villa Time of Signing: July 2012 Fee: £2 million Aston Villa Appearances/Goals: 57/3
Another Eredivisie signing that was Lambert’s own doing this time, midfielder El Ahmadi also joined Villa in the same summer, featuring regularly for them in his two seasons with the club.
A solid addition, but he would return to Feyenoord in the summer of 2014, having made 57 Villa appearances and scored three goals. 6/10
Ron Vlaar
Transfer: Feyenoord to Aston Villa Time of Signing: July 2012 Fee: £3.5 million Aston Villa Appearances/Goals: 88/2
Central defender Vlaar followed El Ahmadi from Feyenoord to Villa that summer, quickly becoming captain of the club and a mainstay at the heart of Lambert’s team’s defence.
Despite three largely successful years at Villa Park, during which time he was also a regular for Holland in their run to the 2014 World Cup semi-finals, Vlaar opted to turn down the offer of a new contract in the summer of 2015, opting to return to his home country with former club AZ Alkmaar. 7/10
Jan Vertonghen
Transfer: Ajax to Tottenham Hotspur Time of Signing: July 2012 Fee: £10.8 million Tottenham Appearances/Goals (as of September 1, 2019): 286/10
Another centre-half who moved from Holland to England in the summer of 2012, Belgian Vertonghen has been a constant in Tottenham’s defence ever since his move to Spurs.
His partnership with fellow Belgian Toby Alderweireld, also formerly of Ajax, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive duos in the Premier League in recent years. At just £10.8 million, he has been an excellent signing. 9/10
Vurnon Anita
Transfer: Ajax to Newcastle United Time of Signing: August 2012 Fee: £6.7 million Newcastle Appearances/Goals: 155/3
Certainly not Newcastle’s most memorable signing in recent years, but in five seasons on Tyneside, Anita still managed to clock up more than 150 appearances in black and white.
Whether it was in central midfield or at right-back, the Dutchman was solid if unspectacular before being released at the end of the 2016-17 season. 6/10
Oussama Assaidi
Transfer: Heerenveen to Liverpool Time of Signing: August 2012 Fee: £2.4 million Liverpool Appearances/Goals: 12/0
Not all of Liverpool’s Eredivisie signings have been as fruitful as Suárez – just ask winger Assaidi.
The winger did not cost a lot of money, but could not break into Brendan Rodger’s starting XI on a regular basis ahead of youngsters like Raheem Sterling and Suso.
Loan spells at Stoke City soon followed before a move to the Middle East and then a return to Holland with FC Twente. 3/10
Alexander Büttner
Transfer: Vitesse to Manchester United Time of Signing: August 2012 Fee: £4.5 million Man Utd Appearances/Goals: 28/2
One of Sir Alex Ferguson’s final signings as Man Utd manager, Büttner was, in some ways, the archetypal modern full-back – a defender who didn’t like defending.
In both Ferguson’s final season and David Moyes’ ill-fated year at Old Trafford, the left-back was on the periphery, before a rift with Moyes’ replacement, Louis van Gaal, supposedly triggered his departure to Dynamo Moscow after two years in Manchester. 5/10
Maya Yoshida
Transfer: VVV-Venlo to Southampton Time of Signing: August 2012 Fee: £3 million Southampton Appearances/Goals (as of August 31, 2019): 186/9
Given he has never quite caught the eye as much as some of his former Southampton colleagues, it may be somewhat as a surprise that Yoshida is still at the club seven years after his arrival.
But even if he is not on the same level as some of the centre-backs he has partnered at Southampton, such as Virgil van Dijk or Alderweireld, he has always been picked at least semi-regularly by all seven of the Saints managers he has worked under. A quiet success. 7/10
Leandro Bacuna
Transfer: Groningen to Aston Villa Time of Signing: June 2013 Fee: £1.3 million Aston Villa Appearances/Goals: 129/8
Here’s a tip – don’t go to the media saying you want Champions League football when your club is having an utterly rotten season.
This, as well as riding a hoverboard around an airport after a Villa defeat, is what Bacuna will likely be remembered for at Villa Park: a symbol of their dreadful, 17-point relegation season in 2015-16.
He featured regularly, and could strike a perfect free-kick on his day, but it seems unlikely many Villans fans will think of him in a positive light. 4/10
Erik Pieters
Transfer: PSV to Stoke City Time of Signing: June 2013 Fee: £3 million Stoke Appearances/Goals: 206/3
Racking up more than 30 appearances for Stoke in each of their Premier League campaigns since his signing would suggest left-back Pieters was at least a decent player for the Potters.
After their relegation in 2018, he had a loan spell in Amiens, before moving permanently to Burnley in the summer of 2019. 6/10
Wilfried Bony
Transfer: Vitesse to Swansea City Time of Signing: July 2013 Fee: £12 million Swansea Appearances/Goals: 95/38 (over two spells)
A man who began with the biggest of bangs, only for the flame to quickly fizzle out. Bony was terrific in his first season with Swansea, scoring 25 goals to help them avoid relegation.
But a mid-season move to Manchester City the following year proved a mistake, and after a similarly unsuccessful loan spell at Stoke City, Bony was back at the Liberty Stadium in 2017.
Though he couldn’t rediscover his form, netting just four in 25 games across two seasons, he still goes down as a hit given his blistering goal return in his early days in South Wales. 8/10
Marco van Ginkel
Transfer: Vitesse to Chelsea Time of Signing: July 2013 Fee: £8 million Chelsea Appearances/Goals (at time of writing): 4/0
What happened to Marco van Ginkel? Following Bony from Vitesse to the Premier League, he was one of José Mourinho’s first signings after his return to Stamford Bridge, but has barely featured since.
Though he is still contracted to Chelsea, he has made only four appearances for the club and has been loaned to Stoke, AC Milan and PSV (three times). Serious injuries seem to have curtailed his chances at being a success in West London. 2/10
Jozy Altidore
Transfer: AZ to Sunderland Time of Signing: July 2013 Fee: £10.6 million Sunderland Appearances/Goals: 52/3
The poster boy for the Premier League’s expensive mistakes up front, Altidore is a striker almost synonymous with not scoring.
The American bagged for fun in Holland, and joined the Black Cats on the back of 51 goals in the last two seasons for AZ, but found England much tougher, scoring just three times in 52 Sunderland appearances. Especially given the fee paid, an awful signing. 1/10
Leroy Fer
Transfer: FC Twente to Norwich City Time of Signing: July 2013 Fee: £4.4 million Norwich Appearances/Goals: 33/4
But for a failed medical, Leroy Fer would have been an Everton player the January before he moved to Norwich.
But since leaving the Eredivisie, he has been relegated with the Canaries, Queens Park Rangers (where he moved a year after joining Norwich) and Swansea, who released him in the summer of 2019.
No doubt a good player, but you would suspect that’s more than just unfortunate coincidence there. 4/10
Nacer Chadli
Transfer: FC Twente to Tottenham Hotspur Time of Signing: July 2013 Fee: £7 million Tottenham Appearances/Goals: 119/25
Another who departed FC Twente for England with Fer, winger Chadli, enjoyed a decent three-year spell with Spurs, with 13 strikes in 2014-15 his own personal best.
A two-year stint at West Bromwich Albion went less swimmingly, though, and he left England for AS Monaco after the Baggies’ relegation in 2018.
Christian Eriksen
Transfer: Ajax to Tottenham Hotspur Time of Signing: August 2013 Fee: £11 million Tottenham Appearances/Goals (as of September 1, 2019): 281/67
Still a pivotal player at Spurs, Christian Eriksen is inarguably the most successful of signings Tottenham made after selling Gareth Bale for £85 million that summer.
That might not be saying much, but Eriksen, who has managed double figures for goals in the last three seasons, has been a wonderful signing, even if he looks set to leave once his contract expires in 2020. 9/10
Magnus Wolff Eikrem
Transfer: Heerenveen to Cardiff City Time of Signing: January 2014 Fee: £2.3 million Cardiff Appearances/Goals: 13/0
One of three Norwegians signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjær in January 2014 during his tumultuous short reign as Bluebirds boss, Eikrem made little impact in Cardiff’s ultimately failed attempt to stave off the drop in their first season in the top-flight.
After Solskjær left in September 2014, following Cardiff’s sluggish return to the Championship, Eikrem did not feature at all under his successor, Russell Slade, and had his contract terminated in December that year. 3/10
Dušan Tadić
Transfer: FC Twente to Southampton Time of Signing: July 2014 Fee: £10.9 million Southampton Appearances/Goals: 162/23
Ronald Koeman’s first signing as Southampton boss was certainly one of his better. Tadić may have lacked consistency at times, but with him on one wing and Sadio Mané on the other, the Saints were often an exciting mix of pace and skill.
In some ways, it beggars belief that they let him go in the summer of 2018 to Ajax, where he scored an astonishing 38 goals in 56 games last season and helped them reach the Champions League semi-finals. 7/10
Graziano Pellè
Transfer: Feyenoord to Southampton Time of Signing: July 2014 Fee: £8 million Southampton Appearances/Goals: 81/30
Soon after Tadić came another Eredivisie export in imposing striker Pellè, who flew out of the traps by netting nine goals in his first 12 games for Southampton.
Perhaps inevitably, his form tailed off somewhat thereafter, but a return of 30 in 81 Saints games was still certainly credible, and many were surprised when he followed Koeman out of the door at St. Mary’s in the summer of 2016, moving to China. 7/10
Daryl Janmaat
Transfer: Feyenoord to Newcastle United Time of Signing: July 2014 Fee: £5.4 million Newcastle Appearances/Goals: 77/4
Signed on a rather generous six-year deal in the summer of 2014, Janmaat went on to be named player of the year by Newcastle’s Supporters Trust in his first season with the club.
But the following year, which saw Newcastle be relegated, was less impressive, his nadir coming after a 1-0 defeat at Stoke, when he was involved in a confrontation with his own fans post-match.
He moved on after Newcastle’s drop to Watford, where he is still plying his trade today. 6/10
Siem de Jong
Transfer: Ajax to Newcastle United Time of Signing: July 2014 Fee: £6 million Newcastle Appearances/Goals: 26/2
The sort of player Newcastle fans will only remember for the wrong reasons; de Jong arrived with great expectations and pedigree after netting 78 goals in almost 250 games for Ajax, but this move never worked out.
Due to a number of injuries, namely a thigh problem weeks after joining Newcastle, and then a freak accident which threatened his sight, he was limited to just 26 Toon Army appearances in three years with the club before returning to Holland. 3/10
Jason Davidson
Transfer: Heracles Alamo to West Bromwich Albion Time of Signing: August 2014 Fee: Undisclosed West Brom Appearances/Goals: 5/0
Another one to be filed under the ‘don’t sign players just because they impressed you at the World Cup the same summer’.
Davidson played every group game for Australia in Brazil that summer, but would make only five appearances for West Brom, with just two of them coming in the Premier League. 3/10
Daley Blind
Transfer: Ajax to Manchester United Time of Signing: September 2014 Fee: £13.8 million Man Utd Appearances/Goals: 141/6
A deadline-day signing for Man Utd, Blind left Ajax to reconvene with Louis van Gaal, who had managed him in the Dutch squad at the World Cup earlier that summer.
One of the most versatile and underrated players on the list, Blind has never been a particularly satisfying player from an aesthetic point of view, but rarely let United down during his four years at the club. 7/10
Memphis Depay
Transfer: PSV to Manchester United Time of Signing: June 2015 Fee: £25 million Man Utd Appearances/Goals: 53/7
Blind was a successful Eredivisie, most if not all United fans would agree. Depay, on the other hand, less so.
One of the breakout stars of the 2014 World Cup, much was expected of the young winger following his £25 million signing from PSV Eindhoven, but it just never clicked for him in the Premier League.
Supposed attitude problems and a lack of trust placed in him by van Gaal’s replacement, José Mourinho, meant Depay left United for Lyon just 18 months after arriving. 3/10
Kristoffer Nordfeldt
Transfer: Heerenveen to Swansea City Time of Signing: June 2015 Fee: £770,000 Swansea Appearances/Goals: 40/0
It’s hard to judge goalkeeper Nordfeldt in the Premier League, because in the three seasons he was with Swansea in the top-flight, he only played twice.
He featured in 22 Championship games for them in 2018-19, but has lost his place to Newcastle loanee Freddie Woodman this term. 4/10
Georginio Wijnaldum
Transfer: PSV to Newcastle United Time of Signing: July 2015 Fee: £14.5 million Newcastle Appearances/Goals: 40/11
Nobody would deny Wijnaldum was a bright spark in an appalling season for Newcastle, which saw them relegated, as the Dutchman finished joint-top scorer with 11 goals, even if they all came in home games.
But it has been since his move to Liverpool the following summer that he has truly thrived in England.
Playing in a deeper midfield role than previously, he has become an essential part of Jürgen Klopp’s plans, and wrote his name into Anfield folklore with two goals in the remarkable 4-0 Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona in May 2019. 8/10
Steven Berghuis
Transfer: AZ to Watford Time of Signing: July 2015 Fee: £4.6 million Watford Appearances/Goals: 11/0
When you sign as many players as Watford have done, certainly in their early days back in the Premier League, not all of them are destined to be successful. Winger Berghuis is a case in point.
The Dutchman featured just 11 times for Watford during their first season back in the top-flight in 2015-16, and has been back in Holland with Feyenoord ever since. 4/10
Jordy Clasie
Transfer: Feyenoord to Southampton Time of Signing: July 2015 Fee: £8 million Southampton Appearances/Goals: 49/2
A year after signing two Eredivisie players, Southampton did the same again in the summer of 2015, as Ronald Koeman went back to his home country for another pair.
Midfielder Clasie was highly thought of, and had worked with Koeman at his previous club, Feyenoord. Though he featured regularly under Koeman, he failed to make an impact after his manager left for Everton, and was finally sold to AZ in the summer of 2019 after two loan spells. 5/10
Cuco Martina
Transfer: FC Twente to Southampton Time of Signing: July 2015 Fee: £1.4 million Southampton Appearances/Goals: 36/1
And confirming that Southampton had much less success with Eredivisie signings this time around than with Tadić and Pellè the year before was Martina, though he will be remembered for a wonder goal against Arsenal for the Saints, if little else.
The right-back struggled to make an impact on the South Coast and left after his two-year contract expired at the end of 2016-17.
But Koeman signed him again for Everton, where he looked hopelessly out of his depth, often having to deputise at left-back. A lack of ability, rather than effort, was the issue here. 3/10
Viktor Fischer
Transfer: Ajax to Middlesbrough Time of Signing: May 2016 Fee: £4.5 million Middlesbrough Appearances/Goals: 16/0
Another youngster for whom much was expected, Fischer’s career has yet to really catch fire in the way many had hoped, and his time at Middlesbrough essentially reflects that.
Boro were incredibly dull to watch in 2016-17, and were relegated having won just five games and scored an appalling 27 goals, and Fischer made no impact. He was sold following their immediate return to the Championship. 4/10
Vincent Janssen
Transfer: AZ to Tottenham Hotspur Time of Signing: July 2016 Fee: £17 million Tottenham Appearances/Goals: 42/6
Admittedly, it can’t be easy being understudy to Harry Kane, but even still, it was shocking how sub-par Janssen was for Tottenham.
Just six goals in 42 games is a meagre return for a striker who looked desperately short of confidence – just look at his reaction to scoring in a 6-0 FA Cup win against then-League One Millwall for evidence of that.
His nightmare finally ended in the summer of 2019, when he moved to Mexico, joining Monterrey. 2/10
Mike van der Hoorn
Transfer: Ajax to Swansea City Time of Signing: July 2016 Fee: £2 million Swansea Appearances/Goals (as of August 31, 2019): 98/6
Van der Hoorn had to bide his time at Swansea, playing for them just 11 times in his first season following his move from Ajax, but has since become a regular in central defence.
And while the Swans have been in the Championship for two years now, he has certainly made an impression, not least with his aerial threat. Another decent, no-frills signing. 6/10
Luciano Narsingh
Transfer: PSV to Swansea City Time of Signing: January 2017 Fee: £4 million Swansea Appearances/Goals: 39/2
A less successful move from Holland to Swansea was winger Narsingh, whose late winner against winner against Watford in December 2017 was about the only thing of note he did in his two-and-a-half years in Wales.
He was released in the summer of 2019 having barely featured in the Championship for Swansea and subsequently returned home, joining Feyenoord. 3/10
Markus Henriksen
Transfer: AZ to Hull City Time of Signing: January 2017 Fee: £4.8 million Hull Appearances/Goals (as of May 5, 2019): 92/5
One of the many players brought in at the eleventh hour by Hull during the 2016 summer transfer window, Henriksen is still hanging on at the KCOM Stadium.
An initial loan move that summer became permanent the following January and he has become a popular figure at Hull since their relegation in 2017, featuring for them regularly in the Championship. 6/10
Erwin Mulder
Transfer: Heerenveen to Swansea City Time of Signing: June 2017 Fee: Free Swansea Appearances/Goals (at time of writing): 27/0
Like Nordfeldt, it’s almost impossible to judge how successful Mulder was in the Premier League; although he didn’t even play a minute of top-flight football for Swansea.
He has since made 27 appearances for the club, albeit all in the second tier. 3/10
Davy Klaassen
Transfer: Ajax to Everton Time of Signing: June 2017 Fee: £23.6 million Everton Appearances/Goals: 16/0
So beloved was Klaassen at Ajax, the club he came through the ranks with, that even after he left for Everton, he returned for a farewell with the fans at the Amsterdam Arena and was greeted with rapturous applause.
Evertonians, though, just couldn’t feel the same love. Though clearly gifted technically, Klaassen struggled to cope with the faster pace of the Premier League, and Koeman eventually dropped him prior to his sacking, before barely featuring at all under his successor, Sam Allardyce.
He was sold after one season to Werder Bremen for about half of the price Everton had paid for him, and is seen as a symbol of all that was wrong with the club’s transfer strategy under Koeman and former director of football, Steve Walsh. 2/10
Jairo Riedewald
Transfer: Ajax to Crystal Palace Time of Signing: July 2017 Fee: £8.2 million Crystal Palace Appearances/Goals (as of August 27, 2019): 21/0
Poor Jairo Riedewald. He followed his former manager at Ajax, Frank de Boer, to Palace in the summer of 2017, only for the Eagles to lose their first four games without scoring and the Dutchman to be brutally sacked.
Since then, he has been a bit-part player under Roy Hodgson, and has not played a single minute of Premier League football for Palace since April 2018. 4/10
Davinson Sánchez
Transfer: Ajax to Tottenham Hotspur Time of Signing: August 2017 Fee: £42 million Tottenham Appearances/Goals (as of September 1, 2019): 82/1
In fact, of the three Ajax players to move to the Premier League in the summer of 2017, only Tottenham’s Sánchez has really been at all successful.
Costing a then-club record fee of £42 million, the Colombian has certainly shown his lack of experience at times, but seems the natural successor to either Vertonghen and Alderweireld with his uncompromising, accomplished defending style.
Davy Pröpper
Transfer: PSV to Brighton & Hove Albion Time of Signing: August 2017 Fee: £6 million Brighton Appearances/Goals (as of August 31, 2019): 79/1
Of Brighton’s three Eredivisie signings since promotion to the Premier League in 2017, only Pröpper has truly worked.
The Dutchman was a regular for the Seagulls in both of his first two years at the club, while also featuring more often for Holland, including making the squad for the Nations Cup Finals in June 2019. 7/10
Jürgen Locadia
Transfer: PSV to Brighton & Hove Albion Time of Signing: January 2018 Fee: £15 million Brighton Appearances/Goals (as of August 24, 2019): 43/6
If Pröpper has been a success at Brighton, the same can hardly be said for his former PSV teammate, striker Locadia, who moved to the Amex Stadium in January 2018 for a then-club record fee of £15 million.
But six goals in 43 games tells its own story, and his loan move to Hoffenheim in August 2019 disappointed few Brighton supporters. 3/10
Juninho Bacuna
Transfer: Groningen to Huddersfield Town Time of Signing: June 2018 Fee: £2.3 million Huddersfield Appearances/Goals (as of August 21, 2019): 28/1
The younger brother of former Villa man Leandro Bacuna, the Terriers man was almost set up to fail by joining one of the worst teams in Premier League history, who were relegated with just 16 points in 2018-19.
He has stuck around following relegation, though, and has featured five times for Huddersfield in the Championship in 2019-20 at the time of writing. It’s hard to criticise him or his signing too much. 5/10
Alireza Jahanbakhsh
Transfer: AZ to Brighton & Hove Albion Time of Signing: July 2018 Fee: £17.2 million Brighton Appearances/Goals (as of August 27, 2019): 25/0
Jahanbakhsh, on the other hand, can be categorised with Locadia, who he replaced as Brighton’s record signing that same summer.
But like Locadia, it hasn’t happened for the winger in England, who is yet to break his duck after 25 Brighton appearances and was left out of new manager Graham Potter’s squads for the early games of the 2019-20 season. 3/10
Philippe Sandler
Transfer: PEC Zwolle to Manchester City Time of Signing: July 2018 Fee: £2.7 million Man City Appearances/Goals (as of January 23, 2019): 2/0
Another who it is almost impossible to rate given his only football has been cup ties against Rotherham United and Burton Albion. 4/10
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