Six classy Eredivisie stars Premier League clubs can sign this summer, incl €60m Liverpool target, Man Utd striker fancy

With Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, West Ham and Newcastle all linked with raids on the Eredivisie, we take a look at six Netherlands-based stars who could be Premier League bound this summer.

For more than two decades now, the Premier League has regularly plucked some of the best emerging talents from Holland.

The success rate of Eredivisie imports is mixed – for every Ruud van Nistelrooy there has been a Mateja Kezman, for every Luis Suarez an Alireza Jahanbakhsh. But that doesn’t stop Premier League clubs going back to the Dutch top flight in search of the next star.

Here are six Eredivisie standouts who could attract attention from Premier League clubs.

Joey Veerman

Eight-cap Netherlands international Joey Veerman has been compared to Andrea Pirlo by former Tottenham and Ajax star Rafael van der Vaart and is reportedly attracting interest from Newcastle.

The 25-year-old playmaker has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Eredivisie since joining PSV from Heerenveen in January 2022.

He operates at the base of midfield, where he dictates tempo – a la the former Italy icon to whom he has been likened – but he is also able to assist and score at impressive rates for a player of his position. He scored a career-best nine goals in all competitions last season, while this term he leads the Dutch top division with 11 assists.

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Vangelis Pavlidis

Ever since signing from Willem II three years ago, powerful Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis has been a reliable scorer for AZ Alkmaar. But he this term he has taken his productivity to a whole new level.

He enjoyed a breakout Europa Conference League campaign last season, scoring nine goals in 13 appearances to power AZ’s run to the semi-finals of Europe’s tertiary competition. And he has carried that form into the 2023/24 Eredivisie season, leading the Golden Boot race with 25 goals in 29 games for the fourth-placed side.

That tally is already seven better than the 25-year-old’s previous single-season return for league goals. Potential suitors, who include Chelsea and West Ham, might be wary that this accelerated output is not sustainable.

Johan Bakayoko

Belgian winger Johan Bakayoko has emerged as one of the most thrilling and fearsome attacking players in the Eredivisie this season, scoring nine goals and providing nine assists for PSV.

Signed from Anderlecht in his mid-teens, the 20-year-old winger shone for the Eindhoven club’s second string before making his first-team breakthrough this term.

A left-footed right winger, Bakayoko is a defender’s nightmare for his combination of speed, skill and scoring threat when cutting inside on to his stronger foot, with impressive per-90 averages of 3.4 successful dribbles and 2.5 chances created.

The exciting 10-cap Belgium international has already been linked with a summer move to Liverpool, where he is considered a potential long-term heir to Mohamed Salah.

Brian Brobbey

It’s been a miserable season for Ajax. The famous Amsterdam club are sixth in the Eredivisie table, a distant 33 points behind league leaders PSV.

But if there has been one bright spot in their disappointing 2023-24 campaign, it is the form of Brian Brobbey.

The 22-year-old striker has 20 goals and nine assists in 38 appearances for Ajax this season.

A reported Manchester United transfer target, it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils will still retain an interest on the one-cap Netherlands international if they decide to move on from Erik ten Hag – under whom Brobbey worked at Ajax – at the end of the current season.

But his age and the development he has shown in what has been by far the best season of his young career to date suggests he’s a worthy target irrespective of who’s in charge.

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Quilindschy Hartman

Left-back Quilindschy Hartman was linked with a move to West Ham last summer after impressing in Feyenoord’s run to the Eredivisie title in his debut season with the first team.

The 22-year-old elected to stay and signed a new, improved contract with the Dutch champions, but suitors will be knocking Feyenoord’s door again this summer after another stellar campaign on the left side of Arne Slot’s backline.

The youngster’s market value will only have increased, too, after breaking into the senior Dutch national team to earn four caps and seeing his creativity flourish at club level, contributing seven assists in 38 games.

Malik Tillman

American attacking midfielder Malik Tillman has the makings of an ideal Moneyball-style signing for a mid-ranking Premier League club.

Currently on loan at PSV from Bayern Munich, the 21-year-old has only recently established himself as a regular starter at the Philips Stadion, with 11 of his 23 Eredivisie appearances so far this season coming from the bench.

But despite his limited minutes, the former Rangers loanee ranks as one of the most creative players anywhere outside of Europe’s five major leagues.

After setting up two goals in last weekend’s 5-1 drubbing of AZ, Tillman now has nine assists in the league this term, plus six goals. According to FBref.com, he ranks in the 90th percentile for assists per 90 among attacking midfielders and wingers in the highest-ranking leagues outside of the big five, as well as the 98th percentile for shot-creating actions.

His work rate and effectiveness in pressing is evident, too, ranking in the 99th percentile for blocks, the 97th percentile for tackles and the 93rd percentile for interceptions.

The numbers point toward Tillman being an undervalued talent.