KNVB Eyes Excelsior Winger Driouech in Bid to Boost Dutch Performance

The Netherlands wants to trump Morocco: ‘Nigel de Jong spoke with Eredivisie player’

Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:16 PM

The KNVB recently spoke with Couhaib Driouech, the 21-year-old winger of Excelsior. Journalist Mike Verweij from De Telegraaf revealed this news on Friday afternoon in the football podcast Kick-off. While director Nigel de Jong is accused of negligence in a number of areas, the Dutch Football Association is said to have recently spoken to Driouech.

Driouech, born in Haarlem, who, as a trendsetter for Excelsior, was heavily linked to Feyenoord and PSV last winter, has so far only played for Morocco Under 23. With the highest promising team of the Atlas Lions, the winger won the youth edition of the Africa Cup last summer.

Driouech now has nine youth international matches on behalf of Morocco Under 23, in which he once acted as a announcer. According to Verweij, the right-footed winger has had contact with De Jong. “He seems to have had a conversation.” It is not clear in the podcast where and when that conversation took place.

Fellow journalist Valentijn Driessen reacts critically to the news. “That’s an Excelsior player. Are we going to talk to Excelsior players now?” Verweij has more understanding for the contact between the KNVB and Driouech. “In a year he might be a PSV player.” Driessen quickly comes up with a telling answer. “Benchman at PSV then.”

Driouech, who is worth 3 million euros according to Transfermarkt, seems to be in his last months at Excelsior. Since August 2021, the swift wing striker has played 93 games on behalf of the Kralingers, in which he scored 12 goals and 13 assists. Driouech is still contracted to the Van Donge & De Roo Stadium until mid-2025. After Feyenoord and PSV, the KNVB also seems to have his eye on him.

De Jong

Driessen is not yet impressed by De Jong, who was appointed as sporting director at the KNVB at the beginning of 2023. “If you have a big mouth and say that the Netherlands goes for the top and the highest achievable, then as a director you also have to deliver. Although at the KNVB no one is ever judged on what he or she does or does not do. So far Nigel de Jong has had very little success.”

The journalist mentions a number of things that are currently not going well at the KNVB, including the Orange Lionesses. “At the World Cup he said that those women went for the final, but the next round they were out. Now they will not go to the Olympic Games either. The Dutch team was eliminated in the Nations League, Under 17 and Under 19 go not to the European Championship. Dean Huijsen chooses Spain, Lily Yohannes for America. These are all matters that are on De Jong’s plate, those are his files,” Driessen concludes.

2024-03-29 18:16:00
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