Jetro Willems (32) suddenly emerges as a youth coach at Eredivisie club

Jetro Willems (32) has been a free agent since leaving NEC this summer, but it remains to be seen whether he wants to continue his career as a player. Sparta Rotterdam have announced that Willems will join the Under-16s coaching staff with immediate effect.

He is taking on the role as part of his coaching course. "Jetro Willems, who came through Sparta’s academy and played sixteen matches for the first team, is joining the U16s with immediate effect as part of his coaching course," the club wrote on X.

After one season at NEC, Willems became a free agent, though it remains unclear whether he is still looking for a new challenge as a player.

When he arrived in Nijmegen last year, Willems did say he found coaching very interesting. "I had known the coach for a while before he brought me to Spain. We regularly spoke about football and share the same ideas," he told Voetbal International about Dick Schreuder.

He added: "When he was still coach at PEC, we were already in frequent contact. Apparently he saw something in me, haha. I talk to coaches more often as well. I find that interesting."

Joining Sparta's Under-16s is therefore a first concrete step towards a possible future in coaching. Thanks to his long career at the highest level, Willems also has the experience to pass that knowledge on to young players.

The left-back played for PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt and Newcastle United, among others, and won 22 caps for the Netherlands.