Why Wolves signing Nigel Longwijk is a step in the right direction
According to Dutch outlet ED, as cited by Birmingham Live, Wolves have completed the transfer of highly-rated defender Nigel Longwijk from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.
The report adds that the 17-year-old is set to join Wolves next week after the Black Country outfit negotiated a fee of €200,000 with PSV, with the teenager set to put pen to paper on a long-term professional deal at Molineux when the transfer window reopens in January. (ED h/t Birmingham Live)
A central defender by trade, Longwijk has impressed for PSV across various age-group levels, featuring in the U-17 and U-19 Eredivisie, while also making his mark for The Netherlands at the U-16 level.
The teenage prospect, who is held in high regard by the youth coaching staff at PSV, is yet to make a senior professional appearance for his boyhood club but Longwijk’s talent and potential have apparently been enough to convince Wolves that he is, indeed, capable of reaching great heights in the years to come.
Profiled by Birmingham Live as a strong and athletic defender, Nigel Longwijk is still very much in his formative years as a footballer, and while he is likely to take some time to acclimatise to his new surroundings away from his homeland, Wolves have every reason to look at him as one for the future.
That he has pursued his footballing education in the youth ranks of PSV Eindhoven makes him an exciting a prospect to watch out for in the coming years.
Along with Eredivisie rivals Ajax, PSV boast of an excellent track record when it comes to blooding top-quality young talents in their academy, and Nigel Longwijk could very well be the next in the queue to follow in the footsteps of some of his famous predecessors and make a name for himself at the highest level in Europe.
To put things into perspective, Wolves completing a deal for Juston Longwijk might not have an immediate impact on their Premier League campaign but it certainly makes a lot of sense as far as their long-term plans under Nuno Santo are concerned.
While Wolves have used the financial muscle of their ambitious owners to bolster the squad with some top-quality players over the last two years, the Midlands giants have also made it a priority to constantly scour the continent for bright emerging prospects in a bid to supplement their development side with quality talents.
Nuno Santo has shown an inclination to build a team around young and developing players, as evident from the rise of Diogo Jota, Adama Traore, Leander Dendoncker, Ruben Neves, Ruben Vinagre, Max Kilman and several others, while also ensuring the right blend of experience with accomplished stars like Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio.
Pedro Neto, 19, and Bruco Jordao,20, came through the door at Molineux in the summer from Serie A outfit Lazio as a part of Wolves’ long-term plans while another top young talent, Partick Cutrone, was also brought in from AC Milan.
Furthermore, the likes of Meritan Shabani and Raphael Nya, who arrived from Bayern Munich and PSG respectively, have settled down very well in the club’s development ranks while Azerbaijani striker Renat Dadashov has been loaned out to Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira.
Meanwhile, academy starlets like Dion Sanderson, Tayor Perry and Chem Campbell have all been handed their professional debuts by the manager in the EFL Cup this season, which is a clear indication of the fact that Wolves are open to promoting quality young talent from their youth setup to the senior ranks.
Verdict
In all probability, Nigel Longwijk should continue his development with the U-18 side at Molineux with a view to a quick transition to the U-23s in the Premier League 2.
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Staking a claim for a role in the first-team sounds unrealistic at the moment but the Dutch prodigy seems to have all the talent in the world to evolve into a future star.
All in all, Wolves completing a move for Nigel Longwijk certainly strikes the right chords and clearly underpins their ambitions moving forward in the English top-flight.