Brighton sign Dutch international defender Joel Veltman from Ajax
Brighton are not hanging around this summer – just two days after announcing the signing of England international Adam Lallana from Liverpool, the Albion have completed the capture of Dutch international defender Joel Veltman from Ajax for £900,000.
The 28-year-old has spent his entire career at the Amsterdam Arena, racking up 220 appearances and winning three Eredivisie titles since making his debut in January 2012.
Veltman was a regular in the Ajax side who made it all the way to Champions League semi finals in the 2018-19 season. He has played 22 times for his country and as recently as December was being linked with a big money move to the likes of Roma and AC Milan.
Brighton have managed to acquire Veltman for a fraction of his market value by activating the €1 million release clause in his Ajax contract.
Although it is notoriously hard to predict how imports from the Eredivisie will adapt to English football – see Elvis Manu, Jurgen Locadia, Danny Holla, Roland Bergkamp and Alireza Jahanbakhsh – that fee for a full international and Champions League regular appears to be an absolute steal.
Combine it with the Lallana deal and in the space of 72 hours, the Albion have signed two full internationals with 56 caps between them who were both semi finalists in the European Cup last season for less than £1 million.
While there is no doubting that Brighton capturing Joel Veltman from Ajax is a good bit of business, it does raise questions on just where he fits in.
The Albion are stacked at the back for next season. Graham Potter could name an entire starting XI made up of defenders if he wanted – Lewis Dunk in goal; Martin Montoya at right back; Leo Ostigard and Matt Clarke in central defence; Dan Burn left back; Tariq Lamptey on the right wing; Veltman and Ben White as central midfielders; Bernardo on the left wing; and Shane Duffy and Adam Webster up top.
Veltman is comfortable in possession, as you would expect from a player who has come through the Ajax academy. That ball playing ability and his versatility – he is capable of playing at either right back or as a centre half – have clearly made him an attractive asset for Graham Potter.
Interestingly, the Albion have described Veltman as “a right-back and can cover in central defence”, which suggests he has brought in to provide competition for Lamptey and perhaps replace Montoya.
The ex-Barcelona man has fallen from favour since January, with Ezequiel Schelotto even being preferred at right back. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Montoya sold this summer.
Signing Joel Veltman from Ajax could also mean that Brighton find it easier to sell one of Dunk or White. If Dunk wants to try his hand at a bigger club for a chance to win trophies and add to his solitary England cap, then this summer probably represents his last chance to secure a move.
Dunk is in the prime of his career and turns 29 in November. Nobody is going to pay the sort of money that the Albion will want for a defender in his 30s the following year with little-to-no resale value.
White meanwhile continues to be linked with the biggest clubs in the country and The Leeds United. Liverpool are rumoured to be very keen on White with Chelsea and Everton also monitoring the situation.
Should White be sold, Brighton can expect to attract a fee in the region of £35 million for his services. The Albion could find themselves replacing a defender who has never played a minute of Premier League football in his life with a full international and three-times Dutch champion, making a profit of £34.1 million at the same time. Further proof if it were needed that the transfer market is mad.
Dunk and White could of course both stay. Potter has played three at the back on occasions in the 2019-20 season, including in the 2-1 win away at Burnley on the final day of the campaign.
In fact, a lot of Brighton’s better results have come when using three centre backs. Having players of Veltman and White’s quality available might give Potter the confidence to use such a system on a more frequent basis.
If a three-man defence is to be the way forward, then you need at least five central defenders who are capable of passing out from the back to fit Potter’s style.
Dunk, Webster, Burn, Veltman and White is a pretty bloody good roster to select from. Clarke meanwhile was Derby County’s Player of the Year so is clearly no slouch.
He could head back to the Championship for another loan or Brighton could even sell him on for a significant profit on the £3.5 million paid to Portsmouth last summer.
Veltman’s arrival will not impact on the future of Shane Duffy, who seemed likely to be sold anyway. Duffy needs to be playing regular first team football and he hasn’t got that at Brighton under Potter. A move this summer was always on the cards.
Brighton have confirmed that Veltman will wear the number 34 shirt in tribute to his former-Ajax teammate and friend Abdelhak Nouri, who collapsed during a friendly in 2017.
Nouri spent three years in an induced coma, waking in March 2020 but having suffered permanent brain damage. He is now cared for by his family at home.
Several of Nouri’s ex-colleagues have since taken number 34 at their new clubs after leaving Ajax with Veltman following suit. It will be interesting to see what he brings to the Albion while wearing it and where he fits in.
