With top-scorer Christian Santos departing NEC Nijmegen this summer, Jay-Roy Grot will look to establish himself as the club’s first choice centre forward.
- By Michael Bell
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Grot joined NEC at the age of 10 and worked his way through the various age groups, helping the U18s win their league title back in the 2014/15 season. The attacker’s progress didn’t go unnoticed by the Dutch national team, with Grot a regular at U17 level and part of the Netherlands squad that played in the European Championships in 2015.
Coach Ernest Faber was impressed by the 18-year-old last summer during pre-season and handed the forward his Eredivisie debut as a late substitute in their opening game of the season against Excelsior. This was the first of ten league appearances for Grot last season and he has been a regular for NEC during their pre-season this summer after missing out on a place at the U19 European Championships.
Playing Style
Grot made most of his NEC appearances last season on the wing, where he utalises his pace, power and dribbling ability, but his natural position is as a centre forward.
At 6ft 3 and built like a brick house, Grot can go toe to toe with any centre back in the Eredivisie and has a bright future through the middle as a target man or central striker. Strong in the air or with the ball at his feet, Grot has a bullet header and a strong right foot.
What does next season hold for Grot
With only two first team starts last season, Grot’s ambition for the campaign ahead will be to become a regular under new coach Edwin van de Looi. Whether that be on the wing or through the middle, Grot can be a big threat to any defence in the Eredivisie, and without their stars from last season Christian Santos and Anthony Limbombe, NEC will need the youngster to fulfill his potential if they are to match their 10th place finish last time out.
Scoring his first Eredivisie goal early should give Grot the confidence to have a prolific breakthrough year.