Everton appointing Marcel Brands as director of football was an exciting move for the Merseyside club.
He’s rated extremely highly in the Netherlands, where his work with PSV continues to have benefits now and will do so for the foreseeable future.
Tangible improvements at Goodison Park, or at least benefits from them, aren’t likely to be obvious for a while and it’s a matter of keeping patience, trusting in that original decision, and looking long term rather than from half season to half season.
Friday’s edition of De Telegraaf highlights three new youth players breaking through at PSV, and Brands gets the credit. Mohammed Ihattaren (17), Cody Gakpo (19) and Michal Sadilek (19) all look on the verge of making it, and the Dutch newspaper say it’s all down to an increased concentration on youth development which Brands implemented.
Head of PSV youth training Ernest Faber is quoted as saying: “There has always been attention to the youth and that is even more pronounced by Marcel Brands. I think we have built up a nice culture as a training club. We train our own players who actually become a basic player and eventually win championships. Because that’s what it’s all about in top sport.”
Earlier this week, the Everton boss spoke about Ihattaren and was glowing with his praise: “Frankly, I’d like to have him at Everton tomorrow, he’s so good, but I don’t think that’s the path he should take. He will need an intermediate step later. In that respect, Mo is good at PSV. The club plays European football, he has a great chance of playing time and he is in the national teams. If he now went abroad, he has a lot less guarantees. The step to the Premier League is really big and it can also go wrong with a talent. Now he has a coach who sees it in him, I would say cherish that. The big money will then come naturally.”
