As you may have read in my last few articles, the majority which have been to discuss whether the next Eredivisie starlet was ready for the Premier League and today is another.
But this is different, this one has legs as Southampton have already contacted Feyenoord for their star’s services, which is why I am seeking to discuss if this young kid from Holland is ready to replace the departed Morgan Schneiderlin.
First, let’s have a look at who Jordy Clasie is and his rise to stardom in Rotterdam.
Club career
Clasie grew up in Haarlem, a small town not so far away from Amsterdam.
He was given his first football boots by Willem Van Hanegem, a former Dutch international himself who was a friend of his father.
At 9 years of age, he was discovered by Feyenoord and accepted the offer to join their youth system.
It was not smooth sailing for the young Jordy at the start as constant travelling via trains was taking its toll, plus he was getting criticized on a regular basis by then head of youth development: Henk Van Stee, who would regularly call him too small and urge him to leave the club.
But then he left for Shakhtar Donetsk and his successor, Stanley Brard, did have confidence in Clasie, who knows what would have happened if he didn’t.
Clasie was loaned out to Excelsior in 2010 making his debut vs Feyenoord of all clubs a week later and had his first competitive goal ever scoring away at NEC in Nijmegen. After a successful loan period, he returned to Feyenoord and started most of the preseason before making his official debut against, coincidentally, Excelsior.
He quickly grew to be a fan favorite and scored his first goal for Feyenoord against Groningen. Clasie finished the season only missing one game and ended up winning the Young Player of the Season award, which was given to him by his old friend Willem Van Hanegem.
And guess who was the manager who gave him his breakthrough? Ronald Koeman, the current Southampton manager.
Things moved quickly for Clasie the next season, where he was given the number 6 and was made reserve captain behind Stefan De Vrij amidst rumors of interest from major clubs like AC Milan, Roma, Juventus, and Tottenham Hotspur. However, Clasie rejected these clubs to stay a few more seasons at his beloved Feyenoord.
He is currently Feyenoord’s captain, but the club’s failure to win any trophies has surely shortened Clasie’s patience with his beloved side and their ambitions.
International career
Clasie was first called up to the “Jong Oranje”, or the Dutch U-21s, in December 2010.
He also was called up for the 2013 U-21 Euro Championship in Israel, where he was used mainly as a substitute.
On the 1st of August 2012, he was picked by Louis Van Gaal for the Dutch side for the friendly vs Belgium. He wouldn’t wait long to grab his first cap, which he managed to do so on the 7th of September 2012 vs Turkey at the Amsterdam Arena.
He was then picked for the World Cup two years later and was praised for his performance in the third-place play-off vs Brazil, which Holland won comfortably 3-0.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Well, Jordy Clasie is your typical 21st-century defensive midfielder. He is small in stature, just like Javier Mascherano or Nigel De jong, but because of his fine tackling ability this does not work against him.
He is a very sound passer of the ball, but likes to keep the game simple and does not look for a 50 yard pass or a through ball. He is also not attack-minded as his low goalscoring rate proves and is very assured and calm when the ball is at his feet.
Is he the ideal target for Southampton?
In my opinion? Yes.
Here are the reasons why:
- Clasie is at his best when he has a talented 10 in front of him, who he can give the ball to after winning it. He has not had this at Feyenoord, but I think with a player like Dusan Tadic in front of him this would prove beneficial for both player.
- The confidence factor, which has been witnessed with Ronald Koeman- the man who gave Clasie his big break. Because of this, Clasie will know that at Southampton he has a manager who has the utmost confidence in him and that can help the player immensely.
Of course there are things that could go wrong as he could struggle with the pace of the Premier League as Feyenoord at a very slow tempo or he could up short physically, but I do not see this happening.
In conclusion, to all Southampton fans: this could be a signing to be excited about.
Written by Jamie De Geir
Follow Jamie on Twitter @evertonianjamie
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