The summer transfer market has closed, with a number of high-profile Dutch players changing teams. While the respective clubs involved in these transfers will assess these deals with an eye to the transfer figures and wages committed, or saved, as compared to the player’s performances for their new club, very different parameters will determine whether or not these moves are positives or negatives for the Dutch men’s national team. From the perspective of the Oranje, has the national team had a good transfer window?
To answer this question, the noteworthy transfers from the summer 2026 window are reviewed below. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of every Dutch player involved in a summer transfer, but instead a look at players on the move who have recently been in or around the Dutch squad, or conceivably could be in the short-to-medium term.
- by Adam Schenk
Crysencio Summerville – West Ham United to Al Hilal: We’re unfortunately starting off with a transfer that really can’t be described as anything but disappointing from the national team’s perspective. Ronald Koeman deserved every bit of stick he got for the dreadful tactics leading to our early World Cup exit, but credit where credit is due: playing Summerville turned out to be a masterstroke. Summerville had only earned his first cap for the national team in a warm-up friendly against Algeria less than two weeks before scoring his first World Cup goal against Japan, which he followed with another excellent performance when the Dutch ran riot against Sweden. Maybe, supporters thought, we can finally stop arguing about whether Donyell Malen is a right-winger or a striker if Summerville simply makes the RW position his own.
And perhaps that may still be the case, but it’s difficult to imagine many fans hoping that Summerville’s next developmental stepping stone would be a move to Saudi Arabia. He’ll of course play significant minutes, he’ll of course get his goal involvements (and has started brightly already in the Saudi Pro League), and he’ll get to form a talented attacking trio of former Premier Leaguers with Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Martinelli joining from Aston Villa and Arsenal respectively. But surely his own development, and the interests of the national team, would have been better served if he was regularly going up against better defensive lines in a top European league.
Jan Paul van Hecke – Brighton to Tottenham: You must be following up the Summerville transfer, you, the reader, wonders, with a more positive move, right? Another strong World Cup performer in his mid-twenties, but this time moving to a larger profile Premier League club (albeit one lower in the table the last two years) where he’ll defend against some of the best attacking lineups in the world sounds good. AND we get the added bonus of him playing week in and week out with Micky van de Ven, improving that relationship for club and country? AND when Xavi Simons is healthy we potentially have three national team contributors playing together, developing a little Dutch enclave similar to the situation at Liverpool? This must be a positive move!
And then you remember that the team Jan Paul van Hecke moved to was the nightmare that currently is Tottenham Hotspur…
Look, the Premier League sample size is extremely small, and there’s every possibility Tottenham are sitting comfortably mid-table at Christmas, with all their high-profile acquisitions given a chance to gel, they’ve kept a bunch of clean sheets and van Hecke is in a good run of form. But given the trend of the last few seasons, it’s hard not to feel like it will take a number of Premier League wins for Spurs to no longer feel like they’re in crisis mode, and that’s not the headspace we want our major national team players to be in come international breaks. Hard to feel good about this transfer right at the moment.
Tijjani Reijnders – Manchester City to Al Qadsiah: Alright, you say, enough is enough; this next transfer must be a positive? Tijjani Reijnders is on the move, and that must be good, right? A change of scenery after he saw his playing time significantly reduced by season’s end at Manchester City, followed by a lackluster World Cup performance which deservedly saw him out of the starting lineup by the time the competition reached the round of 32, seems like a good thing. Maybe a loan move back to Milan where he enjoyed so much success? A switch to a Premier League club a little lower down the table where he’ll play a prominent role and get the heavy minutes he’ll need to be in consideration for international duty?
Or…Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia?
It’s certainly a player’s prerogative to maximize their career earnings, and not many people would turn down the wages that Summerville and Reijnders will be pocketing at their new clubs. But the former at 24 could conceivably earn a large payday over the next couple of seasons and seek a return to Europe while still in their prime, while the latter is 28 and may not have the same ease of return on the other side of 30. This move has shades of Georginio Wijnaldum’s move several years ago to Al Ettifaq, whereafter a previously significant contributor drifted fairly quickly out of the national team setup.
Sean Steur – Ajax to Newcastle: Any time a young Dutch talent leaves Ajax it’s hard not to think back to the transfers following Ajax’s famous run to the Champion’s League semifinal in 2018-2019, which was such a mixed bag of results. Frenkie de Jong continued to blossom at Barcelona, Donny van de Beek saw his career implode at Manchester United, with Mathijs de Ligt’s move to Juventus (and then Bayern Munich, and then Manchester United) probably properly characterized as a slight disappointment as he also now finds himself on the periphery of the national team setup rather than a regular fixture at CB that we all hoped he would be.
Sean Steur’s Ajax squad certainly wasn’t anywhere near as talented as that Ajax squad, Steur is not as a high profile a prospect as his three countrymen were, and with the greatest of respect to Newcastle, his new team doesn’t have the same history and ambition as Barcelona, Juventus, or Manchester United. And to be honest, that’s probably all good news. Perhaps another year or two cementing his status in the Ajax midfield would have helped his development, but then the pressure of expectations on his first big transfer may have subsequently become inflated as a result. There are opportunities for playing time in the Newcastle setup this year, and at 18 Steur was already trusted with a start in midfield in Newcastle’s entertaining 2-2 draw with Liverpool this season. Some cautious optimism (finally!) around this move.
Xavi certainly showed a willingness at Barcelona to give opportunities to young players, and one hopes he’ll do the same for Oranje. Give a young player like Steur a couple of callups and an opportunity to play a few minutes to start the process of growing into a possible national team contributor.
Denzel Dumfries – Inter Milan to Real Madrid: As much as it pains me to describe a Dutch player moving to Real as anything other than a massive negative as an Atletico Madrid supporter, there’s potential upside here, but with risk depending on the amount of playing time Dumfries receives. Jose Mourinho seems to see Dumfries playing a significant role this season if his three early season starts are any indication, and as long as there’s enough playing time to keep him sharp, the competition for minutes at right back with Trent Alexander-Arnold may push Denzel to keep performing at a very high level both in training and matches. A manageable number of minutes may also keep him fresh and fit when Dumfries needs to swap his white jersey for an orange one. The worst-case scenario here is if Dumfries has a poor run of form that results in him not getting the minutes necessary to be match sharp for Oranje.
Lutsharel Geertruida – RB Leipzig (on loan at Sunderland) to PSV Eindhoven on loan with an option to buy: Geertruida performed decently during Sunderland’s impressive campaign last season, logging a fair number of minutes spread across RB, CB and defensive midfield, squeaking into the World Cup squad as an injury replacement for Jurrien Timber. He’s ultimately been deemed surplus to requirements at RB Leipzig, however, and returned to the Eredivisie with PSV, having represented rivals Feyenoord prior to his move to Leipzig.
Presumably Geertruida will see significant gametime at Eindhoven, which is better than a season stuck on the Leipzig bench, but there must be a certain sense of disappointment at having not been able to stick in a larger league. Geertruida hasn’t made a significantly noticeable impact on the national team setup across his 21 caps either, to be fair, so the impact on Xavi’s national team setup from this move isn’t likely to be significant. If he performs decently at PSV, he’s likely to remain what he’s been so far in his Oranje career: right on the fringes of being included in the squad each international window, and likely not doing much more than coming on late to provide defensive cover when he is called up.
Joey Veerman – PSV to Borussia Dortmund: Could this pave the way for a national team redemption story? Readers may remember his disastrous match at Euro 2024 against Austria where he was pulled off before halftime, and while he did play in the tournament following that nightmare match, he hasn’t played for Oranje since. Koeman and Veerman traded a number of verbal barbs, but with Xavi now in charge perhaps a recall to the national team setup could be in the offing.
Following his exceptional season last year for PSV, Veerman now makes his first move abroad at age 27. While he is certainly making the transition out of the Netherlands far later in his career than many of his contemporaries, Dortmund could be a good spot for a late-blooming Veerman to make his name outside the Netherlands. The team has proven a strong launch pad for many noteworthy players in recent years, and the modest transfer fee (by today’s standards at least) means that Veerman won’t be feeling the weight of overbearing expectations. Here’s hoping Veerman can find his feed quickly at Signal Iduna Park and become a key cog in the Dortmund midfield. Reasons to feel cautiously optimistic on this transfer.
Zian Flemming – Burnley to Ipswich Town: Ronald Koeman’s disdain for Joey Veerman must not have been pleasant to deal with, but at least Koeman knew who Joey Veerman was. Zian Flemming, on the other hand, was apparently an unknown to the former national team manager, who appeared to have no idea of who the leading Dutch goalscorer in the Premier League was last season during his now infamous press conference ahead of the World Cup.
Flemming honed his craft through the grind of several years in the English Championship, and managed 11 goals in his initial season in the Premier League, an impressive feat considering that the woeful Burnley managed only 38 goals in total as a squad before returning to the English second flight. He picked up where the left off early in the Championship season, firing in a brace against fellow relegation victims West Ham United in Burnley’s first match of the new season before Ipswich Town brought his services back to the top flight.
Unless Donyell Malen can begin to replicate his Roma finishing form for Oranje, and until Brian Brobbey starts consistently delivering the performances we saw in the World Cup group stage, the team remain in real need of options at central striker, and if Flemming can find himself amongst the goals with Ipswich he should be considered for at least an experimental cap or two.
Emmanuel Emegha – Strasbourg to Chelsea: Speaking of strikers, Emmanuel Emegha’s transfer from Strasbourg to Chelsea was officially completed this summer having been announced early last season, and he joins their crowded attacking complement. Emegha has struggled with both injury and drama over the past 12 months, facing fan backlash at Strasbourg surrounding his transfer as well as a one game suspension for comments deemed unacceptable by the club, particularly given his status as captain.
Yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea coming out of recovery from yet another leg injury, Emegha will have a fight on his hands to take minutes away from Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck. There were rumblings of a possible loan for Emegha for this season (a rite of passage surely at this point for any young Chelsea acquisition), with Xabi Alonso purportedly determined to keep Emegha in London for this year. If minutes are hard to come by, it could be a season of stalled development for a player in a real position of need for Oranje.
Donyell Malen – Aston Villa to Roma (loan made permanent): Feel free to quibble about whether this technically qualifies as a summer transfer, as the obligation for the loan to be made permanent was triggered in May, but from the perspective of Oranje we’ve had a bit of a shocker of a transfer window truth be told, so let’s ignore the spring/summer distinction and highlight a transfer that’s gone so very, very right for both club and player. Having already reached 20 goals for Roma in all competitions, Malen has been absolutely prolific for Giallorossi, and has started the new Serie A season where he left off with 5 goals in his first 3 matches.
But Malen was in this form for Roma before the World Cup, and it unfortunately didn’t click in front of goal for him over the summer. When he had his chances for Oranje he generally spurned them. The debate with Malen recently has often been whether he is best deployed as a striker or RW for the Netherlands, and perhaps consistently playing the former position for Roma eventually translates into a replication of his club form for the national team. Fingers crossed he stays amongst the goals at Roma, and subsequently improves his finishing for the national team during the Nations League.
Wout Weghorst – FC Twente on a free transfer (previously at Ajax): Even with a dearth of consistent options at striker, surely we’ve seen the last of Wout Weghorst in orange as the team transitions to a new era under Xavi? Even as an option off the bench, Weghorst didn’t look at the World Cup as though he still has the ability to play a meaningful role if Oranje want to reach the heights we hope they will, and we’d be better off using the last spot or two in the squad to give opportunities to young players rather than having Wout to bring off the bench to hit long balls toward if we’re chasing a game late.
But take nothing away from Weghorst, who gives absolutely everything for his country and is clearly bursting with pride every time he gets to pull on the famous orange shirt. He’s been amongst the goals early at Twente, and nothing he does in his career will ever diminish the memories of that incredible performance against Argentina. A true servant for his country.
Nathan Ake – Manchester City to Fenerbahce: You have to wonder how Ake looks back on his move from Bournemouth to Manchester City. He certainly filled his trophy case, earned a good wage, and was far from just a bit part player with 177 appearances for the club in all competitions. And yet he never quite reached the heights that it seemed were possible when he got his big move from Bournemouth, where he was an ever-present, dominant force in their starting 11 and it seemed like there was still untapped potential even still.
There was a noticeable dropoff when Ake deputized on the left side of defence in place of Micky Van de Ven in the match against Tunisia, and although it certainly wasn’t his fault to have been given the start in the ultra-conservative approach to the Morocco match, it doesn’t feel as though the Netherlands will reach new heights if he is logging major minutes at the back. Still, a return to constant minutes in a competitive Fenerbahce side is optimal to toiling on Enzo Maresca’s bench, and may give him some added match sharpness if called upon to deputize at the back for Oranje. Ultimately, this is probably a positive move from the Oranje perspective.
Stefan de Vrij –Panathinaikos on a free transfer (previously at Inter Milan): The veteran CB was largely surplus to requirements at Inter last season, and he’s made the move to Greece in search of regular football as he reaches the latter stages of his career. His best years in orange are behind him, but if he’s fit and sharp there are far worse players you could bring on to win a defensive header late in a game. Good that he won’t be stuck on the bench for another season.
The Big Move That Didn’t Happen – Cody Gakpo to Manchester City or Tottenham: The biggest name from the de facto Dutch starting eleven amidst the transfer rumours this past window was Cody Gakpo, and while he ultimately stayed put at Liverpool it’s a situation that needs at least a passing consideration in this article.
Only time will tell if Gakpo would have been better served moving on following Liverpool’s massive transfer for PSG’s Bradley Barcola, who conceivably will cut into Gakpo’s starting minutes at LW. Gakpo’s pair of assists inside the first 10 minutes recently against Ipswich Town suggests that he certainly won’t be relinquishing his place in Liverpool’s starting 11 without a fight. With Liverpool looking to challenge for trophies on multiple fronts, perhaps there ends up being more than enough minutes to go around.
Had he actually moved, it’s not immediately obvious that either of the rumoured potential destinations would have proved to have been fairer pastures. There are enough versatile attacking players at Manchester City that heavy minutes may not ultimately have been a given, and I’m not sure we want more of our national team eggs in the rotten basket that is Spurs at present. Ultimately, it may turn out to be just as well that he stayed with the strong Dutch group at Liverpool.
A Few Quick Mentions:
– Ernest Poku – Bayer Leverkusen to Besiktas (loan with conditional buy obligation): The 22-year-old managed a respectable 10 goal involvements across 29 Bundesliga matches (roughly split between starts and substitute appearances), but enjoyed far less success in Champion’s League matches. Let’s see if he can find a way to get to that next level in Turkey.
– Mats Rots – FC Twente to Hoffenheim: The 20-year-old LB is Twente’s record outgoing transfer, and has represented the Dutch throughout the youth levels. One to keep an eye on for the future.
– Sven Mijnans – AZ Alkmaar to PSV: Seems likely to fill the shoes of Veerman at PSV after a €13 million move.
– Kian Fitz-Jim – Ajax to Torino: Has been ever-present in Torino’s midfield since his move. Has never earned a full Netherlands cap, but is still only 23 despite it feeling like he has been around Ajax for a long time.
– Joel Veltman – West Ham United on a free transfer (previously at Brighton): Bit of a strange one, as Veltman was still a fairly regular contributor for Brighton and part of their sizeable Dutch contingent last season, but ultimately opted to swap the Premier League for the Championship.
– Daley Blind – Girona to Ajax on a free transfer: Still playing at 36. Long past his prime, but has been able to carve out a role for himself wherever he’s gone.
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