NEC unveil top talent who never made the breakthrough at PSV

NEC have bolstered their squad with Delé Thomas, the Nijmegen club announced on their website on Tuesday. The 19-year-old winger arrives from RB Leipzig and has signed at De Goffert until mid-2030. He will link up with Dick Schreuder's squad straight away.

"With Delé, we are bringing in a young talent who fits our vision. We are offering him the same pathway as Sami Ouaissa and Basar Önal so that he can continue to develop. With his dribbling and pace, he also gives us extra options out wide," technical director Carlos Aalbers said as he explained Thomas's arrival at NEC.

After coming through the youth academies of Almere City FC and Feyenoord, Thomas moved to PSV in 2023. The left winger scored six goals in 44 matches for Jong PSV and became a regular in the reserve side. A first-team breakthrough, though, never came.

Sky Sport's Philipp Hinze had already reported Thomas's move to NEC on Tuesday. "Leipzig and NEC are currently not only negotiating a loan move for Thomas, but are also discussing a permanent transfer at the same time."

That has now ended with Thomas joining NEC on a permanent deal. He came through his medical without any issues before signing a four-season contract.

While Thomas was still under contract with Leipzig until mid-2031, Transfermarkt values him at €1 million. PSV tried to keep him at the club last year but were unsuccessful.