On April 19th, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joël Veltman admitted he’s happy at The Amex.
The 31-year-old has a deal expiring in June. Last weekend, the defender told Algemeen Dagblad that he’s in talks with the Seagulls over a new contract.
On Tuesday, a surprise claim, that mainly originated from Twitter, stated Barcelona are looking at the Brighton player. This hasn’t been backed up by Spanish outlets so far.
Nevertheless, former Twente star Jan van Halst has urged Veltman to continue with the English club. He made these claims to Ziggo Sport, relayed by Ajax Showtime.
“I don’t think it’s a logical choice, neither for Veltman nor FC Barcelona,” he said.
“Veltman plays in a great football team. Brighton were knocked out of the FA Cup semi final by Manchester United, but they were better. Veltman was part of that and he often plays there. He is very much appreciated there.”
The Netherlands international has been a regular for Brighton and has featured 32 times for them this season. A move to the Camp Nou may not allow him to enjoy regular game time.
“The question is whether you will play enough matches. It is also possible that you sit on the bench all season and can participate once in a while,” Van Halst explained.
“He has already enforced a bit more status at Brighton. That will be the trade-off. It would be a fantastic adventure, but I wonder if it will happen.”
Van Halst is aware an opportunity to join Barca could be tempting for his compatriot, but he believes it’s best for the right-back, who can also operate in the heart of the defence, to stay at Brighton.
“Barcelona is building a new team and he is a bit older. At Brighton he can operate a little more from the defence. However, I can tell it nicely, but if Barcelona just calls, then I understand that it is very attractive,” Van Halst added.
