Mats Deijl Poised to Become Feyenoord’s Future Captain

At the onset of the new season, Robin van Persie appointed Sem Steijn as the captain of Feyenoord, taking over from Quinten Timber, who has since transferred to Olympique Marseille. However, Van Persie subsequently reassigned the captain’s armband to Timon Wellenreuther, leaving fans to speculate whether Wellenreuther will relinquish it following a potential winter transfer for the Rotterdam squad.

Mats Deijl is expected to soon finalize his transfer to Feyenoord. The defender joins from Go Ahead Eagles, where he has been serving as the team captain. Journalist Valentijn Driessen believes that Deijl will be a valuable asset to Feyenoord. “Deijl is a significant reinforcement, especially since Read will be out until the end of March, Lotomba has not been performing, and Nieuwkoop is frequently injured. While St. Juste can play as a right-back, he is primarily a central defender,” Driessen remarked during the Kick-off podcast of De Telegraaf.

Although Driessen expresses enthusiasm about Deijl’s arrival, ESPN analyst Kennet Perez raises some concerns regarding the player’s qualities. “His personality is crucial for Feyenoord. I hope he can maintain his identity at the club,” Perez stated. Nonetheless, the Danish analyst questioned whether Deijl possesses the ability to contribute something extra to Robin van Persie’s team. “At Feyenoord, that can often be a challenge due to the different pressures involved. When I read about the transfer, I was reminded of the club’s past decisions to acquire mid-tier players, which shouldn’t happen again,” he added.