Incoming Southampton signing Justin Bijlow would have laughed at the club two years ago, now he’s jumping at the opportunity.
That’s according to analyst Kenneth Perez, who believes the goalkeeper’s move could be seen as a cautionary tale.
Bijlow is expected to complete a move to Southampton imminently, with it reported today that it was in the final stages after he completed a medical on Monday.
The goalkeeper has long wanted to make the move to the Premier League and expressed that on more than one occasion after impressing in the Netherlands.
He had been linked with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in the past, with both sides thought to be keen on moving for him at various points.
They never did and Southampton have now moved to get their man as they look to add a ball playing goalkeeper to their squad for Russell Martin.
Bijlow has jumped at the opportunity after finding himself pushed out of the number one spot at Feyenoord.
He had been the first-choice goalkeeper at the Dutch club for several years but is now behind Timon Wellenreuther. The Dutch club have made it clear he’s free to move on and that’s now happening, but the fact it is Southampton has surprised Perez.
“We should see this as an example of how things can go in two years. From: First choice goalkeeper of the Dutch national team, a transfer of forty million euros… To: now let’s see if you become the first goalkeeper of Southampton,” he said
“If you had said two years ago that it would look like this now, he would have laughed at you.
“This is what can happen in football. It’s not always an upward trend. It often happens with transfers: Why are you going there? But the train often only passes by once.”
