Why Everton have done a brilliant job by offering Maarten Stekelenburg a new two-year contract
Everton‘s Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has signed a new two-year contract with the club, which will keep him at Goodison Park until June 2020. The 35-year-old is an experienced shot-stopper, who was part of the Netherlands’ historic World Cup campaign in 2010.
New manager Marco Silva is adamant to build a competent squad if he has to take the club to where it belongs – challenging for European places. Everton already have a good No.1 in Jordan Pickford, who has enhanced his reputation following a stellar show in the World Cup. However, the Toffees were in dire need of a solid backup.
Tying down Stekelenburg for two years indicates the club’s faith in the player. After all, he boasts of ample experience, having played a lot of games in his career which includes a World Cup final.
Here’s why the Merseyside club have done the right thing by keeping the Dutch goalkeeper for the remainder of his career:
Stekelenburg’s experience will be handy
As impressive as Pickford has been in the past couple of years, he is just 24 years of age and he will need an experienced player to learn from. And as mentioned above, Stekelenburg has played some big games in his career, which will aid him in guiding the young England goalkeeper.
The Dutchman won two Eredivisie titles during his time with Ajax, meaning he is adept at handling pressurizing situations at the top level. Furthermore, despite his lean time in English football since his arrival in 2013, Stekelenburg is a quality shot-stopper.
Pickford, meanwhile, has created his own history by becoming one of the key players in England’s crazy run to the World Cup semi-final. However, a player like Stekelenburg would surely help him enhance his skills and grow further as a player in the English top-flight.
Read More: Why Everton have committed a huge blunder by offloading this 25-year-old for just £12m
Conclusion
Everton have taken a different route to settle their No.2 spot in the goalkeeping department and it does seem like a wise move. An experienced player like Stekelenburg will not only enhance the competition but also improve the coveted first-choice, Jordan Pickford.
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