Holland Boss Ronald Koeman Expresses His Dissatisfaction as Steven Bergwijn Seals a Move to Al Ittihad

Dutch winger Steven Bergwijn has sealed a move worth 25-million euros to Suadi Arabian club Al Ittihad from Ajax. Bergwijn’s decision to move to Saudi Arabia has gone down well with his national team head coach.

Ronald Koeman has slammed Steven Bergwijn’s decision to join Al Ittihad in the prime of his career. The Dutch manager has claimed that the 26-year-old winger has prioritized finances over sporting ambition. Koeman even went as far as to say that Bergwijn will not be considered for international selection for the foreseeable future. Since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2022, the Dutch winger has racked up 28 goals and 7 assists in just over two seasons for Ajax. Therefore, his decision to move to Saudi Arabia, that too in the prime of his career, has left many fans perplexed. 

While some fans can see why Steven Bergwijn opted for a move to Saudi Arabia, not everyone is on board with his decision—most notably Dutch national team manager Ronald Koeman. Koeman has been open to selecting players like Georginio Wijnaldum, who also made the move to the Middle East, for the national squad. However, in a recent interview, Koeman pointed out a crucial distinction between Wijnaldum's and Bergwijn’s situations. He said, “Georginio Wijnaldum once went that way because he had a problem at Paris Saint-Germain. He could only go to that country to play football until January. In Bergwijn's case is that he goes at the age of 26, sporting ambition does not prevail. Not everyone thinks, fortunately, the same way. I think when you are 26 the main ambition should be sporting and not financial, but those are choices players make." 

Although Steven Bergwijn’s hopes of representing Netherlands have diminished, the former Ajax and Tottenham winger will now join a squad full of superstars like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Fabinho, Houssem Aouar and Moussa Diaby. Al Ittihad are being coached by French manager, Laurent Blanc. They currently occupy the third spot in Saudi Premier League, winning their first two league matches by a one goal margin.  

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