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Mees Hilgers of FC Twente is the most suitable candidate in the Eredivisie to succeed Jurriën Timber, writes Sam Planting in Voetbal International. Timber is about to make a transfer to Arsenal, where he will sign a contract until the summer of 2028. The Londoners reportedly pay 42 million euros, an amount that can increase by 5 million euros due to bonuses.
Planting is very pleased with the 22-year-old Hilgers and says that he made ‘a big step in his development’ last season. “If Hilgers wants to be eligible to get on the jam-packed list of candidates for the central defense of Orange, then a switch to a domestic top club is a logical choice,” said the journalist. In the duels with Croatia (2-4 loss) and Italy (2-3 loss) in the Final Four of the Nations League, Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) and Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord) formed the central duo.
However, according to Planting, there are also points for improvement. He praises Hilgers for his constructive qualities, but also underlines that there is still a lot to be gained defensively at the Orange youth international. “There are still question marks on the defensive side. For example, the young center defender had a lot of trouble against physical striker types in the second half of the season and he also has to grow in terms of hardness.”
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In addition, there are questions about the willingness of FC Twente to let Hilgers go. “The surprise team of 2022/23 with Ramiz Zerrouki and Václav Cerny has already sold two of the great stars for hefty transfer fees. Whether it is also willing to let a strong holder leave in the back line remains to be seen.” Zerrouki transferred to Feyenoord for an amount of between seven and eight million euros, while Cerny moved to VfL Wolfsburg for eight million euros.
Moreover, despite earlier disagreements, Hilgers seems to be heading for a contract extension at FC Twente. Hilgers’ current contract expires in mid-2024, but outgoing technical director Jan Streuer recently indicated that the negative sentiment has now turned. “The talks are going well,” Streuer said to Voetbal International. “I expect more news about this soon.”
