When Aston Villa lost one of their star men, it did not take the Premier League giants long to turn the frowns of those claret-and-blue supporters upside down. The loss of Douglas Luiz to Juventus was immediately offset, after all, by the sight of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea going in the other direction. Barrenechea, a ‘beautiful’ player to watch , could fill the void created by the Brazilian’s departure in the centre of the park too with his eye-catching blend of tenacity and technique.
Amadou Onana, the £50 million arrival from Everton, could also prove to be an outstanding piece of business. A physically imposing giant of a man boasting formidable potential, head coach Unai Emery really likes what he has seen from Onana in pre-season. Now, with attention turning to the backline, the challenge facing Feyenoord is whether they can do like Villa did when cashing in on Douglas Luiz and ensuring that the departure of Lutsharel Geertruida does not go sour before their season even gets going.
But finding a replacement for the man who can do it, reporter Mike Verweij says, will be easier said than done. Aston Villa in talks with Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida Geertruida wore the captain’s armband as Feyenoord won the 2023 Eredivisie campaign under Arne Slot. What’s more, the club’s man for every position is not only a trusty right-back but a very useful centre-half and left-back too.
Emery likes versatile footballers and he would certainly get one with Geertruida. “If Feyenoord wants to replace Geertruida, you should actually sign three new players,” Verweij tells De Telegraaf’s Kick Off podcast , feeling that no single player could bring to De Kuip what the Rotterdam-born 24-year-old can. “I thought he was really amazing in the match for the Johan Cruijff Shield, where he was everywhere.
He can simply play in any position.” That is an opinion shared by Kenneth Perez , the ESPN pundit and former Ajax midfielder. He spotted Geertruida featuring in no fewer than three different roles as Feyenoord defeated PSV Eindhoven on penalties in the Netherlands’ answer to the Community Shield, triumphing after a thrilling 4-4 draw in normal time.
Feyenoord could lose their captain Verweij feels that Geertruida must be retained, urging Feyenoord to make their homegrown colossus the face of the club. “Shouldn’t Feyenoord do everything they can to make him a new Mister Feyenoord? He is so important to this Feyenoord (team).” The decision may be already out of Feyenoord’s hands, however.
Geertruida has only one year left on his contract and a sale feels inevitable unless a new one can be agreed. RB Leipzig were quoted £25 million during the summer of 2023, per Algemeen Dagblad , but it feels very unlikely that Feyenoord could command a similar fee these days. HITC understands that Aston Villa opened talks with the Dutch international’s camp last week.
There is interest in Liverpool’s Joe Gomez too, though Geertruida appears to have emerged as the leading target. Interestingly, HITC can also confirm that Liverpool themselves discussed Geertruida earlier in the summer, having brought in his former boss Slot to replace Jurgen Klopp. West Ham United expressed their interest too while signing ex-Feyenoord starlet Crysencio Summerville from Leeds.
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