No less than 195 of the 470 soccer players in the Eredivisie came from abroad last season: 41 percent. Together with 2006/07, this is the highest percentage of non-Dutch people in twenty years. These are figures that surprise Evgeniy Levchenko, chairman of the VVCS, and which will also be discussed internally, even though the Association of Contract Players can not do much about it. After all, the free movement of services ensures that every EU citizen can work anywhere.

‘You can raise the salary cap for players outside the EU. But in my opinion this is undesirable, because then you exclude a number of markets, ‘says Levchenko. The Telegraph. The former footballer believes that the Eredivisie clubs should give more opportunities to their self-trained players and emphasizes that a foreign player should have ‘clear added value’. ‘And to be honest, I sometimes doubt it. Then I see boys from abroad playing football and I think: are there such players in the Netherlands, or should we be able to train ourselves? ‘

Fortuna Sittard (78%), Willem (54%), FC Twente, PSV, Heracles Almelo and VVV-Venlo (all 52%) were more than half non-Dutch players. RKC Waalwijk (25%), Sparta Rotterdam (26%), AZ and ADO Den Haag (both 29%) are the only clubs that remain below thirty percent. As a training club, Ajax is 41 percent exactly on the Eredivisie average. “I find it very high,” says Levchenko, emphasizing that it does not criticize. “If players improve the quality of the Eredivisie, I even welcome it. I have not yet seen Antony and Mohammed Kudus play themselves, but I understand that these are real acquisitions. ”

‘It’s just fine because the fans want to see jewelry. And it’s also good that the Eredivisie serves as a springboard for bigger competitions. But with the departure of Joël Veltman, Donny van de Beek and Hakim Ziyech, the percentage could be even higher this season. I think this is a theme within the club. “The percentage at Fortuna scares Levchenko. “It looks like a trading house. Players are easily brought in and resold. Then the question is: what added value does it have for the Netherlands? I think Fortuna often plays attractive, so I do not have too many problems with it. It is and remains the choice of a club. ”

Martin van Geel also notes that the balance is shifting to more professionals from abroad. The current general manager of Willem II has in the past managed the technical portfolio of AZ, Ajax, Roda JC Kerkrade, Feyenoord and Willem II. He notes that foreign players are cheaper and that it is easier to negotiate. “It will be the Dutch business spirit, but our experience is that Dutch clubs and players often ask too much.” The Tilburg club is ending the search more and more in Germany. “It’s easier for us to do business there than in the Netherlands, and that’s true even for Kitchen Champion Division clubs.”