From Feyenoord to FC Twente to Norwich City in the English Premier League, that is the fledgling career path 23 year old Leroy Fer has taken so far.
- By Mark Neale
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Making his first team debut at the tender age of 17 for Feyenoord, he went on to make over 100 appearances for the club scoring 14 goals and becoming vice-captain such was his rapid rise in the 4 years he spent there before moving to Enschede. Joining FC Twente for a fee of around €5m, he played over 70 games in all competitions scoring 21 goals. At Twente he was moved further up the pitch from a out right holding player to a more adventurous attacking player.
Fer’s first attempt at moving to the English League came when Everton had a bid accepted in the January 2013 transfer window. This move never materialised after it was revealed Fer had a problem with his knee (which the player himself denied via twitter).But neverless this summer his move arrived in the shape of Norfolk club Norwich City.
He moved in July 2013 and joined fellow Dutch compatriot Ricky van Wolfswinkel, after missing the first league game due to a ban he made his debut away to Hull. Settling quick Fer started to get some rave reviews and won his first man of the match award in the 1-0 win against Southampton. This was the first of 4 consecutive such awards and earned the fans vote for the clubs September player of the month. Such recognition from his club gained Fer a recall to the Dutch national squad for the games against Hungary and Turkey in the World Cup qualifiers of which he made a starting spot.
Eight games into his career in England and despite his clubs lowly position and league struggles the player himself has become an instant success and fans favourite with his high energy but also highly technical performances. Continuous performances like the past few games will surely start to gain attention from clubs with a higher reputation than his present club. But for the present, his current club will be looking towards the midfielder to drag them away from the relegation zone and if the early signs are anything to go by then he is more than capable of this and more.
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