Don't panic, Leeds United: the iconic Eredivise strikers who prove £9m gem transfer gamble can pay off
Leeds United have been linked with a move for a striker who can’t stop scoring in the Netherlands
You really have to feel for ex-Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves, who probably didn’t bank on his legacy being that of a cautionary tale rolled out whenever a Premier League club is linked with a striker from the top tier of Dutch football.
After bulldozing his way to 48 goals in 50 games for Eredivisie side Heerenveen, earning a call-up for Brazil in the process, the powerhouse striker likened to Ronaldo sealed a club record £12.9m move to Boro. He was unceremoniously shipped off to Qatar just two seasons later after spectacularly failing to live up to the hype, doomed to a future of blooper reels and pub quiz question notoriety.
Ever since then, the combination of ‘Eredivisie’ and ‘striker’ in a transfer rumour tends to elicit groans from football fans, and in truth, Alves wasn’t the only major flop. Neither Chelsea’s Mateja Kezman nor Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen could hit a barn door on English shores, despite both plundering the Dutch top tier with bucketloads of goals.
Leeds United linked with Japanese gem
Now, Leeds United have been linked with a move for Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda, who has been setting the Eredivise alight this season, blasting his way to 25 goals in 29 appearances thus far. The £9m Japan international is said to have impressed Leeds scouts, and could be the latest forward from the Netherlands to make their way to the Premier League.
He’s also set showcase his talents on the global stage this summer with Japan - a side tipped to go deep in the tournament after cruising through qualifying and defeating both Scotland and England away from home in the most recent international break. A big World Cup campaign, and interest in his services will only grow, which is why Leeds may be doing their groundwork nice and early.
It’s said that his rapid movement, raw pace and clinical finishing have impressed scouts from a number of clubs who’ve been following him closely. Critics will say we probably also heard all that about Jozy Altidore and the superbly named Ricky van Wolfswinkel, and they may have a fair point.
However, there have been numerous examples of strikers who got their big break in the Netherlands before going on to dominate the Premier League, which should give Leeds reason to trust their gut and take the plunge this summer:
The Eredivise strikers who bucked the PL ‘flop’ trend
Luis Suarez - Liverpool: Uruguay’s all-time leading goal-scorer blitzed his way to over 100 goals in just four seasons with Ajax, before the Reds took notice and snapped him up in 2010 for around £23m. He went on to do rather better than his more expensive, fellow summer arrival Andy Carroll, netting 17 times in his second season and 30 in his third.
He went out at the top in his fourth, scoring 31 goals as he won the Premier League’s Golden Boot award among a host of other individual honours, before sealing a big-money move to Atletico Madrid. Leeds would surely *ahem* bite your hand off for a striker of his calibre to lead the line next season.
Wilfried Bony - Swansea City: Perhaps Ueda could become a Premier League cult hero like Bony? The Ivorian forward had a landmark 37-goal season with Vitesse Arnhem, before joining the Swans for £12m in 2013. His 16 league goals helped the Welsh side to an impressive 11th place finish, and earned him an eventual big-money move to Man City.
Ruud van Nistelrooy - Manchester United: One of the most deadly finishers in Premier League history joined the Red Devils after excelling at PSV. He scored 95 times across 150 appearance in the league, and would have surely had even more if one of his five seasons wasn’t ruined by injury issues. A true Premier League icon, that’s for sure.
Graziano Pelle - Southampton: Having a name strikingly similar to one of the greatest footballers ever to play the beautiful game would be a curse for some, but the Saints striker really took it in his stride. He ground the Eredivise to dust over the course of two seasons, before bagging his big Premier League move.
Like Bony, he was playing for a club punching well above their weight. He wasn’t as prolific as some, but hitting double figures in the league in back-to-back seasons isn’t a record to be sniffed at.
Robin van Persie - Arsenal and Man United: Unlike Suarez, RVP didn’t arrive in the Premier League with a wealth of goalscoring experience behind him - he was a raw 20-year-old, but one with bags of potential. He went on to become a Premier League legend, swashbuckling his way to 139 goals between Arsenal and United, winning back-to-back Golden Boots between 2010 and 2013.