Due To Moving To Saudi Arabia, The Most Expensive Player In Eredivisie Was Crossed Out By Koeman From The Dutch National Team

Coach Ronald Koeman crossed out Steve Bergwjin from the Dutch national team. (X/@EURO2024)

JAKARTA - Dutch coach Ronald Koeman immediately dropped striker Steven Bergwijn from the national team who will play the match in the UEFA Nations League. Because of this, Bergwijn, who was the most expensive player in the Dutch Eredivisie, moved to Saudi Arabia after being recruited by Al-Ittihad.

Koeman did not include Bergwijn when the Dutch were about to face the Bosnian & Herzegovina League A Group 3 match at the Philips Stadium, Eindhoven, Sunday, September 8, 2024 in the morning WIB. Furthermore, the Oranje team hosted Germany's arch rivals at the Johan Cruijff Stadium ArenA, Amsterdam, Wednesday, September 11, 2024 in the morning WIB.

Bergwijn was crossed out just because he left Ajax Amsterdam to join Saudi Arabia's Pro League club, Al-Ittihad. According to Koeman, the player no longer has high motivation to play football so he chooses to play in the league with a level of competition that is not tight.

Koeman thinks it is not the right choice for Bergwijn to leave Ajax even though his performance has decreased. The reason is, this 26-year-old winger can still stay in Ajax or move to another club in the Netherlands or other European leagues.

Bahkan Koeman menuding uang yang menjadi motif Bergwijn karena dirinya sudah pasti mendapat pembayaran sangat besar saat memutuskan menerima tawaran dari A-Ittihad.

"The opportunity for him [to join the national team] is closed. He certainly already knows what is in my mind," said Koeman.

"When you were 26, but your main motivation was no longer football but money. The choice was entirely up to the players," he said.

"I will never be in a situation like this. If I face it, I could move to Barcelona. He could have survived to Ajax. And that's not a bad thing. Of course you have to respect that decision. But if I had experienced it, I wouldn't move," said Koeman again.

Bergwijn's move was one of the surprises in the Dutch League. Because he is one of the national team's stars who survives in Eredivisie. Bergwijn led PSV Eindhoven to win the Dutch League three times, namely 2015, 2016 and 2018. He also lifted the trophy Johan Cruyff Shield in 2016.

Success at PSV, he was then recruited by Totenham Hotspur in 2020. However, the player who has 35 caps is less prominent in the English Premier League and two years later returns to the Netherlands by strengthening Ajax.

His move to Ajax broke the Dutch League transfer record. The Eredivisie giant bought it for 31.25 million euros. But he then left Ajax to accept the offer to play in Saudi Arabia.

Apart from Bergwijn, Koeman crossed out the Memphis Depay striker for different reasons. Depay has not owned a club since being released by Atletico Madrid. Currently, he is still negotiating with Sevilla and hopes to join the Spanish La Liga club.

"The problem is because he doesn't have a club. This means you don't play regularly and this makes you unable to enter the national team. Memphis is 30 and I hope he gets the club soon to stay fit. If he has got the club, then I can reconsider him again," said Koeman.

The same thing with midfielders Marten de Roon and Georginio Wijnaldum who were dropped from the national team. However, Koeman confirmed that they would still be an option to enter the national team. On the other hand, defender Girona Daley Blind is no longer in the squad. He has declared his retirement from the national team.