‘That is nonsense, absolute nonsense. Owen Wijndal could have gone to a much bigger club’

Owen Wijndal came close to a Deadline Day move. That is according to Mike Verweij in the Kick-off podcast from De Telegraaf. But the interested club pulled out at the last moment, so he stayed at Ajax.

“Wijndal is, of course, a lad who earns a lot at Ajax and has played too little,” Verweij begins. “Then suddenly the report comes out that he wants to terminate his contract. Well, a lot of supporters were already flying the flag.”

By the time that report emerged, Wijndal himself already knew he would not terminate his contract. “So a lot was happening around him. There was a club that wanted him,” Verweij reveals.

On Wednesday, rumours emerged that Sint-Truiden were interested in the Ajax left-back. “No, that is nonsense,” Verweij says. “Really nonsense. It was a much bigger club.”

Verweij does not reveal which club it was, though. “Given the time, it was going to be very tight, so it was said: let’s terminate it. Then we’ll try to get that deal done after all. Only that club pulled out.”

That left Wijndal with no serious reason to terminate his contract, because the guarantee of a transfer had gone. “He does not want to just give up that €2.5 million salary, understandably,” Verweij said.

After today, only the transfer market in Portugal and Saudi Arabia remains open. “That is obviously not interesting for Wijndal at all. I do not expect Portugal’s top three to want him, and the question is whether he wants to go to Saudi Arabia.”