Go Ahead Eagles received quite a few prizes when they awarded the Bronze Championship Shields for the third period of the Kitchen Champion Division. Sam Beukema was chosen as best player, while Kees van Wonderen was chosen as best trainer. Football zone visited Beukema and Van Wonderen to discuss, among other things, the transfer of the 22-year-old center-back to AZ.
By Kalum van Oudheusden & Mounir Boualin
“It is a token of appreciation from your colleagues and the captains. It’s nice, but above all a sign that we are on the right track with Go Ahead ”, says Van Wonderen about the prize for best trainer of the third period. Beukema is also extremely proud of the Bronze Championship Shield. “My buddy Jay (Gorter, ed.) Had already won the prize for best goalkeeper and I thought: wow, if I could also win such a prize. I knew it was going to be difficult, because often it is the players who score a lot. Coincidentally, this was a period in which I scored a lot of goals. It was great to hear that I had won that prize. ”
Watch the full conversation with Kees van Wonderen and Sam Beukema here.
Beukema is experiencing an extremely good season anyway, with 9 goals and 2 assists in 37 official games. “A boy from the club”, is how Van Wonderen describes the center-back. “He needed time to develop further. Because he insisted on staying with Go Ahead, he started investing. He is incredibly eager to learn and then you see where that can eventually lead. Before the season, I was already hoping that he would score his goals from set pieces and it turned out like this. That is an extra weapon for the team. ”
“The season has gone up in a straight line,” confirms Beukema, who has been in the spotlight at AZ and Feyenoord, among others. “I’ve been very tired of putting all things together. What is the right choice now? Ultimately, it’s all about the plan, where is the greatest chance of getting around to playing? Where am I going to develop the best? AZ is giving young talent the chance. That, plus the fact that AZ persisted, was decisive. That does not alter the fact that I had a Feyenoord heart, although that has decreased a bit. It made the choice more difficult, but you shouldn’t listen to that. It’s about what’s best for you as a player. ”
‘Sometimes I say to my parents:’ Bizarre how it all turned out ”
Sam Beukema was already in the Football Zone Talent Scout last season.
The departure of Beukema means a loss for Go Ahead Eagles, which will probably make a bid for an Eredivisie ticket via the after-competition. Yet Van Wonderen does not mourn. “The approach is that we like to work with young, talented players, whom we hope will develop. The moment they do that, you know they are making a transfer. So that’s a positive point. Of course you want to keep your best players, but the Netherlands is a training country. We have to ensure that we get the new Beukema back home. ”
And what about Van Wonderen’s own ambitions? Does he ever want to return to Feyenoord? “I am asked that question more often, because I have a history at Feyenoord. That is not a matter of course for me. I’ve played at more clubs and it doesn’t mean you will come back there. I also find it interesting to build things up in a different environment with new people. But it could be, I don’t know how it goes. I had eight great years at Feyenoord, so you always have a bond, a memory and a feeling. ”
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