Valentijn Driessen finds it remarkable that AZ was prepared to pay five million euros for Joey Veerman earlier this summer. The club from Alkmaar could have attracted the midfielder for a tenth of that amount a few years ago, but his arrival was not widely supported internally for various reasons. AZ would rather take a step back than adjust the policy and pay eight million euros at sc Heerenveen for Veerman.
“Three years ago, AZ was able to pick him up from FC Volendam for half a million euros, but he was then tested by the AZ scouts. ‘No AZ player’. The scouting recognized Veerman’s great qualities on the ball, but apart from his reputation as a bon vivant, they thought that without the ball he did too little, or actually did nothing and was even lazy,” Driessen assures in his column in Monday. The Telegraph.
“On Sunday at FC Groningen-SC Heerenveen, the Frisians actually played with twelve men with an unleashed Veerman and when he no longer gave home after the break with ten men. Naturally, Veerman AZ could have given a boost to the reconstruction of the team with his qualities. Now it will take a little longer,” said the daily newspaper’s football chief. With one game less, AZ is currently in fifteenth place. The duels with RKC Waalwijk (1-0) and PSV (0-3) were lost and in between SC Heerenveen was won 1-3.
Driessen points out that at AZ the hand will only be cut if the training cannot deliver and for the time being the club refuses to let go of the transfer and salary ceiling. “Despite the tens of millions in income, AZ refuses to let go of its policy. Even after the outage this summer. Sportingly, it will irrevocably lead to a temporary setback. The club management could use the received millions, but that is not happening.”
“Without letting go of AZ’s ambitions, trainer Pascal Jansen rightly hopes for some patience internally and externally. Any renovation takes time. Whether it’s a stadium or a football team,” Driessen emphasizes.
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