Dutch professional footballers can be found in all corners of the world, from the spotlights of the major European leagues to the more adventurous employments on other continents. In the section Over the Border speaks Football zone weekly with a player who is active outside the country’s borders. This time focusing on Derek Agyakwa, who is currently being rented out by the English Watford to Como in the Italian Serie C.

By Chris Meijer

The Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is without doubt one of the most beautifully situated stadiums in the world. The home port of Como 1907 is so close to Lake Como that you have a magnificent view from the steep stands. In theory, a big turn-off could just bounce right over the Viale Giancarlo Pueche into the water. “The area here with the lake and mountains is beautiful, I enjoy that. When we talk about circumstances, it is a bit different from England. But in the end I’m here to develop myself, that’s what the focus is on ”, Derek Agyakwa wishes to emphasize immediately, after laughing for a moment at the differences between Como and Watford, which is located to the northwest of London. The view that you can have from the stands of the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia over Lake Como, the 18-year-old defender may also have from the balcony of his apartment in the short term.

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, the home ground of Calcio Como. ???? pic.twitter.com/EgYryCsHYP

– LearnEnglishThroughFootball (@LETFootball) February 16, 2019

Agyakwa spent the first weeks in Como in a hotel. Both on and off the field he had to find his place in the north of Italy. “I still have to learn the language, I haven’t mastered it yet. Little English is spoken. I am helped a lot by the Dutch (Azzedine Dkidak and Ismail H’Maidat, ed.) And English guys. More counter football and long ball are played, in England you have more the ball. The way of playing is different, but that’s good for me at this age. I can learn to defend that way. The focus here is on defending, at least in Serie C. It goes hard in practice, everyone flies in. You must always be sharp. The experience is a bit part of Italy, that fanatic ”, he says about his first impression of Italian football. Agyakwa made his Serie C debut against Lucchese with a 2-3 victory and a yellow card. “With the experience they have, they quickly end up in the penalty area. It sometimes seems as if they lie down rather than shoot. That yellow card was for a schwalbe, one hundred percent. ”

For Agyakwa, Italy is the second stop abroad, having spent the past year at Watford. The born Amsterdammer ended up in the youth academy of FC Twente in 2017, after he was snatched from FC Amsterdam. After having played in Enschede for two years, there appeared to be no future for him at the club. “After that I had no club for a while and I trained for myself, together with my uncle and friends. I came into contact with Royal Rounds World through Djaniny Lopes Mendes and they arranged an internship at Watford ”, Agyakwa explains. “I’m never nervous, but that was the case on day one at Watford. Purely because I realized that I could join a Premier League club from scratch. I kept believing in God and working hard because I knew what I could do. I knew my own qualities and eventually my faith was rewarded. That also feels like confirmation to myself. ”

Because Agyakwa was not eligible to play, he did not play any games for Watford last season.

After a two-week internship, Agyakwa was initially offered a six-month contract at Watford. “I had to grow up early, I had been with a host family in Enschede since I was fifteen. But I had wanted to make the move to England for some time. I also ended up with a host family there. ” In his first year, Agyakwa only had to make do with training, because he was not allowed to play. When all formalities were completed, the corona crisis broke out and he had to return to the Netherlands. “As a result, I didn’t make any minutes last season, but as an Under-18 player I did train with the Under-23. It took a few months to get used to English football, the pace was faster and it was a lot harder physically. As a result, I developed myself faster, I had to think faster and play smarter. ”

Agyakwa also appeared on the training field at the first of Watford. “Then you suddenly find yourself opposite Troy Deeney, that is something different. He’s the toughest opponent I’ve had in practice at first, I think. When you train with guys like that, you get better. They’re trying to make you a better player, that’s just great. I was well received by everyone, but Christian Kabasele, Daniel Bachmann and Ken Sema helped me the most. Kabasele is indeed Belgian, although he does not speak Dutch very well. I myself did not expect that I would make the step to the first within a year, ”says Agyakwa with a smile. His perspective only seemed to get brighter last summer as Watford was relegated from the Premier League and therefore said goodbye to several players. Agyakwa got a chance in the first in preparation for the new season and made his official debut in the EFL Cup match against Oxford United (1-1, win after penalties).

For now, Agyakwa played two official games for Watford.

“A fun fact: I’ve played a game in the first at Watford before than in the Under-23,” he laughs. Agyakwa then also played for ninety minutes against Newport County, which ended Watford’s adventure in the EFL Cup with a 3-1 victory. This defeat helped start the rental period at Como. In addition, with William Troost-Ekong and Francisco Sierralta (both from Udinese), two more experienced center-backs arrived in the last month of the transfer window. “It was a very good experience, also playing with players like Nathaniel Chalobah and Tom Cleverley. I learned a lot during that period, I am very grateful to God for that. It looked like I was going to stick with Watford first. When we were eliminated in the EFL Cup, it meant I could make fewer minutes in the first. I had not thought of a rental period myself, to be honest. The moment I actually went back to the Under-23, the transfer window was almost closed. ”

“I had little time to make up my mind, so this was my only option and there was little time to find anything else. Watford and I agreed that I needed to keep playing in a first team somewhere. I thought about it carefully and made the choice to go here ”, Agyakwa continues. Como had been after him for some time, but because it seemed that Watford wanted to keep him on board this season, he had not heard of it. Agyakwa honestly admits that he did not know too much about Como beforehand. “Everything was quite new to me, I actually didn’t know anything about Como. In fact, it was only now that I heard about Como for the first time. I know quite a bit about Serie A, but about Serie C … Como wants to promote and it is nice to fight for a championship, in that respect they convinced me. Until now I have the idea that I can develop well here, a perspective has been outlined that I will get to play a lot. ”

“At first I didn’t know there were Dutch guys either, I had done relatively little research. After I posted on Instagram, Ismail immediately reached out to welcome me. We have become friends from day one and I will soon be getting an apartment near them, ”Agyakwa says about the relationship with Dkidak and H’Maidat. The period in Como must be the stepping stone to a permanent place in the first of Watford. The Hornets For Agyakwa to Italy, his contract left until mid-2022. “It was good that they showed confidence, I am very happy with that. Every young player wants to stay with the first, if he can taste it a bit. That was the case for me too, I wanted to stay there. It turned out differently and this is fine, because I am going to develop here and come back stronger. I know what I’m doing, I want to be one of the best or even the best in my position. If things don’t go the way I want, then I just have to make sure things go the way I want. ”