Brighton and Hove Albion summer signing Mats Wieffer may already be thinking about an exit in future and taking ‘the Wijnaldum route’.
That’s according to Karim El Ahmadi, whose comments on the Brighton man to Algemeen Dagblad are covered by PSV Fans today.
Wieffer joined Brighton in a €32m deal this summer, one of several major signings by the Seagulls in this window as they significantly strengthen for their squad.
The move certainly caught many by surprise, with most in the Netherlands having expected the midfielder to join a Champions League club.
Instead, he has decided to join Brighton, seeing them as a good fit and perhaps a solid place at which to adapt to the Premier League.
That’s certainly a path that many players have taken in the past, electing to join clubs like Brighton to establish themselves in England before moving on to bigger clubs if they can impress.
Georginio Wijnaldum was one such success story and El Ahmadi believes Wieffer could be eyeing up a similar path to the top.
“I still think there is a difference between clubs like Nottingham Forest and Brighton,” he said, referencing Santiago Gimenez not wanting to join the latter.
“Of course, Brighton does not play European football, but they have been playing very good football for a while. For Mats Wieffer, this could be the Georginio Wijnaldum route. After Newcastle United, he could immediately move on to Spurs or Liverpool.
“I played relegation football with Villa for two years. What struck me most was that you can be good in the Netherlands, but in England you are not one of the best players at all. As a player you can benefit from that, especially later in your career. If you return to the Netherlands, for example.
“As a player you wonder ‘how often will the opportunity come along?’ Anyone who gambles must be sure of themselves.”
