The Excelsior Gazette
Market10 Aug 2026
Excelsior say no — this time
The offer from Heerenveen for Rick Meissen was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A move Soufiane Hetli would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Soufiane Hetli is living that version at Excelsior, and it tends to show in the first month.
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Excelsior go back to the board over Julius Dirksen
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $261.6K — a club that wants Julius Dirksen enough to be asked twice.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Irakli Yegoian signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Irakli Yegoian and Excelsior agree another 4 years.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Excelsior bid $300.0K for Joel Ideho
The offer went to Sparta Rotterdam this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
An offer of $240.0K for Julius Dirksen
Excelsior have gone to Go Ahead Eagles with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Graduation day at Excelsior
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Market10 Aug 2026
Teun Dumfries steps up from the Excelsior academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Teun Dumfries has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
Excelsior promote Memphis De Ligt from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Memphis De Ligt has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Nathan Lang joins the Excelsior first team
- Squad A row about effort at Excelsior
- Squad Calvin Raatsie in a row with a teammate