Dutch courage
Steven Bergwijn became the latest Eredivisie star to move to the Premier League this week, with the forward joining Tottenham for £25m.
The 22-year-old joins a long line of players who have made the jump from Dutch domestic football to England, and there have been mixed results along the way. In this slideshow, we've put together a list of the good and the bad of Eredivisie attackers who have preceded Bergwijn, featuring wingers, attacking midfielders and strikers...
Jozy Altidore
Before Altidore’s dire 18-month spell at Sunderland, the American had a season-long stint in the Premier League with Hull. It didn’t go well. With no goals and two assists in his first 11 league games, Altidore flipped between starter and substitute all too frequently.
Still, it didn’t deter Sunderland from signing him for £8.5m in 2013 after he’d plundered 39 goals in 67 Eredivisie games for AZ. One strike in 42 league appearances for Sunderland, however, tells you all you need to know.
Verdict: Miss.
Luis Suarez
Suarez arrived at Liverpool after his first biting controversy helped him force a departure from Ajax in January 2011, and the Uruguayan was evidently champing at the bit to get going for his new side: he scored against Stoke on his Anfield debut after coming on as a substitute.
Another 81 goals followed, including 31 in the Premier League alone as he almost led Liverpool to the title in 2013/14. Brendan Rodgers was desperate to keep hold of him, but Suarez joined Barcelona before the start of the next campaign.
Verdict: Hit
Afonso Alves
Often cited as the reason why Premier League clubs should approach Eredivisie strikers with caution, Alves actually got off to a good start at Middlesbrough, scoring six goals in his first 11 Premier League games.
However, the Brazilian's time in England deteriorated thereafter. A paltry four goals in his first full season contributed to Boro losing their place in the top tier, and the former Heerenveen marksman was shipped off to Qatar the following transfer window.
Verdict: Miss.
Siem de Jong
De Jong moved to St James' Park from Ajax for £6m in 2014, but his time at Newcastle was ravaged by injuries, including a collapsed lung and a freak eye injury that led to fears he could be blinded.
The striker made just 26 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, in which time he managed only two goals. Loaned to PSV in 2016/17, he then returned to Ajax a year later.
Verdict: Miss.
Christian Eriksen
There were great expectations around Eriksen when he joined Spurs from Ajax for £11m in summer 2013, and he left for Inter Milan this month having met them.
The playmaker was mostly superb for Spurs, helping them to the Champions League final in his last full season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award twice, earning a place in the 2017/18 PFA Team of the Year and producing 69 goals and 89 assists in 305 games.
Verdict: Hit.
Davy Klaassen
The attacking midfielder arrived at Everton from Ajax in summer 2017 as a highly-rated prospect, but lasted just one year in the Premier League before being shipped off to Werder Bremen.
Klaasen’s solitary season was underwhelming in the extreme. He made just three league starts and was sold for £12m, only a year after arriving for £24m. Everton, it's fair to say, didn't get their money's worth.
Verdict: Miss.
Dirk Kuyt
Kuyt wasn't a prolific forward for most of his Anfield career, but the Dutchman was deadly in his first few weeks as a Liverpool player, scoring five goals in his first 11 outings for the club.
However, with Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy and a returning Robbie Fowler also vying for a starting spot up front, the £15m man from Feyenoord had to settle for a supporting role on the wing in his first campaign under Rafa Benitez. That hindered his goal ratio, but he endeared himself to the Liverpool faithful thanks to a tireless work ethic on the pitch, which was present throughout his six-year stay.
Verdict: Hit.
Vincent Janssen
Janssen arrived at Tottenham from AZ after thumping in 27 goals in 34 Eredivisie games the season before, but he started slowly and never threatened to depose Harry Kane in north London.
By the time the Dutchman left the club permanently to join Monterrey last summer, his scoring record stood at a dreadful six goals in 42 appearances. Spurs' £17m was not money well spent.
Verdict: Miss.
Wilfried Bony
Bony notched four goals in his first 11 games for Swansea following his switch from Vitesse Arnhem in 2013. He ended his maiden campaign with 25 strikes to his name in all competitions, then hit nine in 20 top-flight outings in the first half of 2014/15.
That was enough to persuade Manchester City to splash £25m on his signature, but Bony struggled to live up to the price tag at the Eithad Stadium. He was also disappointing at Stoke and in a second spell at Swansea, but he goes down as an Eredivisie success given his achievements the first time around.
Verdict: Hit.
Mateja Kezman
What to say about Kezman’s one and only Premier League season? Twenty-five appearances, four goals – and one Premier League winner's medal.
The former PSV hot-shot failed to nail down a starting spot under Jose Mourinho, leading to his departure just a year after arriving at Stamford Bridge. Kezman managed only six Premier League starts, but he later curiously labelled his spell at Chelsea as the "best thing in my career".
Verdict: Miss.
Robin van Persie
Van Persie joined Arsenal from Feyenoord after their Invincibles campaign, just before his 21st birthday. Initially behind Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes in the pecking order, the Dutchman slowly worked his way into Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans and soon became a prolific marksman.
Van Persie won the Golden Boot with 30 goals in 2011/12, then repeated the feat after moving to Manchester United the following summer. His goals inspired United to the title in 2012/13, and he remained at the club for a further two years.
Verdict: Hit.
Collins John
Signed from Twente on transfer deadline day in January 2004, John made an instant impact at Craven Cottage with four goals in his first eight Premier League matches. The striker matched that tally the following campaign despite playing 27 times, before reaching double figures when Fulham finished 12th in 2005/06.
John's career at Craven Cottage tailed off thereafter, culminating in a move to Championship side Leicester in 2007. Still, for an outlay of £600,000 the Liberia-born Netherlands international was a qualified success in west London.
Verdict: Hit.
Jurgen Locadia
Brighton broke their transfer record to sign Locadia from PSV in 2018. The £14m man was expected to add some attacking flair to Chris Hughton's squad, but he hit the ground trudging and never really recovered.
Locadia made only six Premier League appearances in his first half-season at Albion, then scored twice in 26 games in 2018/19. Graham Potter sanctioned his loan departure to Hoffenheim at the start of 2019/20, and the winger has already surpassed his Premier League goal tally in the Bundesliga.
Verdict: Miss.
Luciano Narsingh
Locked in a relegation battle, Swansea acquired Narsingh for £4m midway through the 2016/17 campaign. The Swans pulled themselves clear of danger in the months that followed, although the former PSV man made little impact.
That was also true in his first full season in south Wales, which ended with an 18th-place finish and relegation. Narsingh dropped down into the Championship for a year, before departing when his contract expired last summer.
Verdict: Miss.
Marc Overmars
Part of Louis van Gaal's famous Ajax side of the mid-1990s, Overmars swapped Amsterdam for London in 1997. The speedy winger helped the Gunners win a Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season, most notably when he scored a crucial winner against title rivals Manchester United in March.
Overmars didn't win another major trophy at Arsenal, who narrowly missed out on the title in 1998/99 and then lost in the UEFA Cup final in 2000, which proved to be the Dutchman's final game for the club before a summer switch to Barcelona.
Verdict: Hit.
Marvin Emnes
Middlesbrough spent £3.2m to bring Emnes to the northeast of England in 2008. The dreadlocked striker didn't score a single goal in the Premier League as Boro suffered relegation in his maiden season, and he netted only once in the Championship the following campaign.
Emnes belatedly came good when he found the net 18 times in all competitions in 2011/12, but that prolific campaign was the exception rather than the rule. He returned to the Premier League with Swansea in January 2014, but scored only once in England's top tier.
Verdict: Miss.
Memphis Depay
Hopes were high for Depay when he joined Manchester United in 2015, having plundered 22 goals in 30 Eredivisie outings for PSV the previous season. United beat off competition for the forward's signature from around Europe, but Depay struggled to adapt to life at Old Trafford.
The winger showed flashes of quality during his one full season in Manchester, but for the most part he was frustrating and inconsistent. United sold him to Lyon a year later, although they did recoup most of the £25m they sent PSV's way the previous summer.
Verdict: Miss.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Van Nistelrooy kicked off with a brace on his Manchester United debut against Fulham and never looked back. He started 10 of his first 11 games, and Alex Ferguson’s faith in the Dutchman paid off. The £19m signing from PSV proved to be the ultimate fox in the box, netting 23 goals in 32 league games that season – enough to see him crowned PFA Player of the Year.
The striker proved his first campaign was no fluke as he guided United to league glory in 2003, ending the season with the Golden Boot after scoring 25 goals. In total, his record for the club stood at a mightily impressive 149 goals in 215 games.
Verdict: Hit.
Ryan Babel
Liverpool signed Babel ahead of the 2007/08 campaign, which they hoped would bring a first Premier League title challenge under Rafael Benitez. The Dutchman scored 10 goals in all competitions in his first season but was never that prolific again, nor was he a regular provider of assists throughout his time on Merseyside.
Babel wasn't a total flop at Liverpool, but he certainly didn't fulfil fans' expectations. Sold to Hoffenheim in 2011, he returned to the Premier League with Fulham last season, and currently plies his trade with Ajax after sealing a loan switch back to his first club this January.
Verdict: Miss.
Arjen Robben
After signing from PSV in summer 2004, Robben's Chelsea debut was delayed until November due to injury. That would be a constant theme throughout the Dutchman's time at Stamford Bridge, but he was still an integral part of Jose Mourinho's first two title-winning teams.
In total Robben scored 15 goals and set up 16 more in 67 Premier League appearances, before the former PSV winger was sold to Real Madrid in a deal worth £24m in 2007.
Verdict: Hit.
