Maarten Stekelenburg’s contract with Everton is set to expire at the end of this month and it seems as if a return to the Netherlands is on the cards for the shot-stopper.
The ‘keeper told Voetbal International (via Sport Witness) that his ‘time has come’ to return to the Netherlands, with the 37-year-old’s contract with the Toffees set to expire this month. The report from Sport Witness goes on to suggest that as many as four clubs are looking at bringing in the veteran ‘keeper this summer, with Algemeen Dagblad claiming that Sparta Rotterdam are one of the interested parties.
Meanwhile, Voetbal International’s Chris Templeman has claimed that ADO Den Haag could be the ones to sign Carlo Ancelotti’s man ahead of next season, whilst Willem II and Heerenveen are also options for the former Dutch international.
TIF Thoughts…
Everton signed Stekelenburg from Fulham in 2016 for a fee of £900,000 (per Transfermarkt) but he has made just 26 appearances for the Toffees in that time, conceding 31 goals and keeping seven clean sheets (per Transfermarkt). The 37-year-old shot-stopper has been forced to play second fiddle to Jordan Pickford for the majority of his time with the Blues, with the England international having established himself as first-choice at the club since joining from Sunderland for a club-record fee in 2017.
Will you be sad to see Stekelenburg leave?
Yes
No
With Stekelenburg now 37, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that he is set to return to his home country to see out his career. It will be interesting to see if Ancelotti brings in a replacement for the Dutchman to compete with Pickford, or whether we might see Jonas Lossl given a chance by the Italian manager, after his loan move to Huddersfield Town in January.