Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 2:57 pm• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 15:05

Wesley Hoedt will play for Anderlecht in the coming years, the Belgian club announced through the official channels on Thursday afternoon. The central defender comes over from Southampton and signs a contract in Brussels until the summer of 2025. Hoedt was hired by Lazio from Southampton last season. The latter club has now decided to definitively sell the Dutchman after three rental periods. Hoedt still had a contract in England until mid-2022.

Hoedt had a remarkable end to his loan period at Lazio. The defender was removed from the player list at the beginning of May and subsequently did not play again. The decision to remove Hoedt from the player list was related to the return of Luiz Felipe. The Brazilian defender had recovered from a serious ankle injury, Lazio was only allowed to give up 25 players to participate in the competition and decided to remove Hoedt from the list. That came as a surprise to the six-time the Dutch International, as he played the entire game just before that decision against Genoa.

On the Anderlecht website, Hoedt indicates that the contacts with Anderlecht had been going on for a while. “That had been going on for more than a year,” he says. “There was an immediate click with Peter Verbeke (technical director, ed.) and Vincent Kompany, but we had to wait for the right moment. For me, the choice for Anderlecht is mainly a sporting choice. I want to help make this project a success, to go for the highest possible again. It is up to me to give the dressing room the necessary maturity. And help the many young players to develop to the maximum. “

“With Hoedt, we add leadership and experience to the team”, Verbeke is pleased with his latest addition. “This balance is necessary to allow our many young players to develop optimally and to strive for results. Wesley is also good on the ball and plays with guts and confidence, which fits very well with the football that this club wants to bring.” It is the second time for Hoedt that he will play at the highest level in Belgium. He was previously leased by Southampton to Royal Antwerp in the 2019/20 season.