Steven Bergwijn was heavily linked with a transfer to the King Power Stadium during the summer transfer window, but instead completed a £17.6m switch to Saudi Arabia
While many of the game’s most high-profile names have headed to the Middle East over the past couple of years, there remain doubts around the levels of the leagues in the region. That’s a problem when international managers pick their squads.
For example, Ivan Toney, who completed a move to Al-Ahli last week, is not in the England squad for their upcoming Nations League matches, despite doing well in his cameos at the summer’s European Championship. However, he’s not definitively been ruled out of future call-ups.
Meanwhile, Bergwijn, who started two matches during the Netherlands’ run to the semi-finals in Germany, has been left in no doubt. Dutch head coach Ronald Koeman was forthright in his verdict on the winger’s international future.
“Steven Bergwijn goes to Saudi Arabia at age 26. It’s clear that this has nothing to do with sporting ambition,” Koeman told a press conference on Tuesday. “His book with the Dutch national team is closed. He probably knows what I would have said this.”
Instead of pushing for Bergwijn, City added to their wide options with the signing of Jordan Ayew for £5m, rising to £8m. They completed their attacking ranks with the arrivals of Bilal El Khannouss and Odsonne Edouard in the final two days of the window.
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