If there’s one thing Davy Klaassen loves talking about, it’s Ajax, and that usually ends up with him bringing up his time with Everton too.
The midfielder makes no secret of the misery he went through at Goodison Park, talking about his time on Merseyside whenever he gets a chance.
For those that don’t know, Klaassen joined Everton in a €27m deal back in 2017, arriving at the Toffees as part of a major rebuild that summer.
He landed there with a big reputation, having been captain and a key player for Ajax, whom he’d joined as a youngster and played for at various youth levels.
He would struggle at Everton, though, making just 16 appearances in all competitions in his sole year at the club before being sold to Werder Bremen.
He’s since returned to Ajax and established himself as a key player once again and regularly warns his teammates about the perils of moving abroad as a result.
This year is no different, with several stars expected to leave Ajax for pastures new. For example, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui are reportedly on the verge of a move to Bayern Munich, while Sebastien Haller could be going to Borussia Dortmund.
That’s seen Klaassen regularly talking about his own experiences, which inevitably means him discussing Everton, as he has done for De Telegraaf today.
“A transfer never gives any guarantees; I can speak about that myself,” he told the newspaper, relayed by Ajax Showtime.
“I know that at the time, I was an example of the ideal path within Ajax. From youth player to basic player to captain and titles behind my name.
“At the right age, I was 24, I made the switch abroad, and all options were weighed very carefully.
“Everton seemed the best move, but then it didn’t turn out to be what we both hoped for. It’s just not an exact science; it showed again.”
