Feyenoord U20

15 Nov 2030
Friday
Process
224 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

11 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Sem Steijn leads the rout of Heracles

4‑1, and Sem Steijn took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Only the photograph left for Ayoub Ouarghi

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ayoub Ouarghi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Mika Mármol wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

7 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 9.46 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

6 goals and a season average of 7.52. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

Back issues
223 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

4 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Sem Steijn wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

6 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Squad

No hiding place for Mika Mármol

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mika Mármol, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.94, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Luciano Valente is carrying Feyenoord

7 goals and a season average of 7.44. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 8.34 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Feyenoord share the spoils with Willem II

A 1‑1 draw with Willem II leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

222 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

28 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 13 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Only the photograph left for Calvin Stengs

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Calvin Stengs will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Charles Vanhoutte

97 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Luciano Valente

Marked 8.52 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Leo Sauer

Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Luciano Valente is carrying Feyenoord

6 goals and a season average of 7.37. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Honours even between Feyenoord and Ajax

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Player ratings

Ayase Ueda leaves them behind him

Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

221 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

21 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Can Bozdogan keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Kiyani Zeggen and Feyenoord agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Match

Leo Sauer sends Feyenoord past De Graafschap

It finished 4‑2, and it was Leo Sauer’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.52 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 9.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anis Hadj Moussa

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

No hiding place for Timon Wellenreuther

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timon Wellenreuther, and the manager let it.

In brief

220 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

14 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Oussama Targhalline: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Only the photograph left for Ayoub Ouarghi

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ayoub Ouarghi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Player ratings

Hwang In-Beom shuts the door

Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Jakub Moder

Marked 9.62 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Anel Ahmedhodžić

Defensive actions: 21. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Sem Steijn sends Feyenoord past Groningen

It finished 2‑0, and it was Sem Steijn’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

In brief

219 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

7 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Gjivai Zechiël keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Ayase Ueda signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ayase Ueda and Feyenoord agree another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Jivayno Zinhagel runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Player ratings

One of those days for Mika Mármol

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.70, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Ayase Ueda in the eights

A performance of 8.29 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.27 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Mexx Meerdink

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mexx Meerdink, and the manager let it.

Match

Ayase Ueda rescues a point for Feyenoord

It needed Ayase Ueda to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Utrecht, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

218 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

30 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Calvin Stengs is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente in the eights

A performance of 9.81 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Charles Vanhoutte

129 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

No hiding place for Kiyani Zeggen

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kiyani Zeggen, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Mexx Meerdink keeps on missing

Shots: 15, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

Player ratings

Jivayno Zinhagel runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Match

Feyenoord and ADO Den Haag take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Squad

Luciano Valente is carrying Feyenoord

5 goals and a season average of 7.25. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

In brief

217 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

23 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

A derby to forget for Feyenoord

Beaten 1‑3 by PSV in the one fixture where losing is not allowed. The football was bad enough; the week ahead will be worse.

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Only the photograph left for Shaqueel van Persie

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shaqueel van Persie will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mika Mármol

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.52, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.12 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Costly mistake from Kiyani Zeggen

An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Kiyani Zeggen knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta has seen enough of FC Lorient

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Feyenoord, and 5 appearances in 15 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

216 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

16 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Feyenoord cannot stop winning

5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Only the photograph left for Ayoub Ouarghi

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ayoub Ouarghi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.53, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 9.34 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Feyenoord see off Heerenveen

Three points for Feyenoord, 2‑1 the final word against Heerenveen in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anis Hadj Moussa

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.43, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

In brief

215 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

9 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Timon Wellenreuther

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Lewin Blum: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Vitesse for Shaqueel van Persie 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.

Market

Givairo Read wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Anel Ahmedhodžić in the eights

A performance of 9.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Market

Roda join the queue for Aymen Sliti

Add another name to the list: Roda have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Aymen Sliti. The answer from Feyenoord has not changed — yet.

Match

Jakub Moder sends Feyenoord past Vitesse

It finished 2‑1, and it was Jakub Moder’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

In brief

214 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

2 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 10 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from De Graafschap for Gjivai Zechiël 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.

Market

Luciano Valente wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Market

Only the photograph left for Calvin Stengs

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Calvin Stengs will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Feyenoord cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Match

Feyenoord get the job done against AZ

A 2‑1 win over AZ, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 8.98 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.89, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

213 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

26 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

David van der Werff keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from NEC for Kelvin Neijenhuis 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Noah Bout is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Heracles join the queue for Shaqueel van Persie

Add another name to the list: Heracles have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Shaqueel van Persie. The answer from Feyenoord has not changed — yet.

Match

Feyenoord see off Cambuur

Three points for Feyenoord, 3‑1 the final word against Cambuur in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.20, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.13, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

212 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

19 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Salvatore Elia keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Zwolle for Aymen Sliti

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Anis Hadj Moussa

Marked 9.16 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Feyenoord see off Excelsior

Three points for Feyenoord, 2‑1 the final word against Excelsior in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.93, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 8.52 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Andreas Jungdal out for 33 days

The medical room confirms 33 days on the sidelines for Andreas Jungdal, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

211 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

12 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 9 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Roda for Nacho Ferri

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Calvin Stengs keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Mika Mármol wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Frenkie Promes signs on for the long haul

Feyenoord moved before anybody else could: a new deal for Frenkie Promes, agreed quietly and announced loudly. Boards extend managers for many reasons; the good one is the one this looks like.

Market

Luuk Lang is a Feyenoord player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

Ryan Klaassen is a Feyenoord player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Squad

No hiding place for Givairo Read

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Givairo Read, and the manager let it.

In brief

210 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

5 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Mexx Meerdink keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

ADO Den Haag come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Sem Steijn raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie attracts admirers

The name of Shaqueel van Persie has come up in conversations Feyenoord were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

Shiloh 't Zand out for 14 days

The medical room confirms 14 days on the sidelines for Shiloh 't Zand, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.

In brief

209 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

29 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Lewin Blum: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from ADO Den Haag for Calvin Stengs 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.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Timon Wellenreuther

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timon Wellenreuther, and the manager let it.

Squad

Jivayno Zinhagel signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Jivayno Zinhagel and Feyenoord agree another 5 years.

Market

The Shaqueel van Persie conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Willem II will make the call about Shaqueel van Persie this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

208 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

22 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Oussama Targhalline says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Heerenveen come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Milan Vidakov

144 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

ADO Den Haag expected to open talks for Jivayno Zinhagel

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Stenn de Mol signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Stenn de Mol commits to Feyenoord for another 4 years.

In brief

207 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

15 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Willem II for Shaqueel van Persie

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Jivayno Zinhagel is the real thing at 21

A season average of 6.74 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Feyenoord know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Noah Bout is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Groningen watching Nacho Ferri

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Feyenoord have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

In brief

206 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

8 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

David van der Werff says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Timon Wellenreuther and Feyenoord agree another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

ADO Den Haag join the queue for Stenn de Mol

Add another name to the list: ADO Den Haag have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Stenn de Mol. The answer from Feyenoord has not changed — yet.

Boardroom

$14.4M on the table at Feyenoord

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

205 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

1 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Andreas Jungdal keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Roda for Gjivai Zechiël

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Timon Wellenreuther

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timon Wellenreuther, and the manager let it.

Market

The Shaqueel van Persie conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Heerenveen will make the call about Shaqueel van Persie this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Squad

Mexx Meerdink knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Mexx Meerdink trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

  • Market The shop window has Juanpe in it
  • Boardroom The Feyenoord production line keeps running
  • Boardroom The Feyenoord board choose calm
204 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

24 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Niklas Vesterlund puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Feyenoord, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Vitesse for Aymen Sliti

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Feyenoord lose Ayase Ueda

22 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Eyes on Shaqueel van Persie again

The phone has started ringing about Shaqueel van Persie again, and this time the name on the line is Willem II. Feyenoord are listening politely and promising nothing.

In brief

203 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

17 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Zwolle come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

The Aymen Sliti conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Groningen will make the call about Aymen Sliti this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

Squad

Salvatore Elia gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Market

The Anel Ahmedhodžić question follows Feyenoord around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Anel Ahmedhodžić’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Squad

Jordan Bos knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Feyenoord, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

202 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

10 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Groningen for Nacho Ferri 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.

Squad

Calvin Stengs keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Givairo Read raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ayoub Ouarghi stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ayoub Ouarghi and Feyenoord agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Market

Vitesse expected to open talks for Haakon Norda

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

201 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

3 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Calvin Stengs puts it in writing

“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Feyenoord, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Willem II come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Can Bozdogan says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Luciano Valente wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Nacho Ferri attracts admirers

The name of Nacho Ferri has come up in conversations Feyenoord were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Boardroom

Feyenoord release $14.4M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Squad

No hiding place for Calvin Stengs

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Calvin Stengs, and the manager let it.

Squad

Sem Steijn has company in his position

The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Sem Steijn keeps the shirt for now, at Feyenoord's convenience rather than his own.

In brief

  • Boardroom The Feyenoord production line keeps running
  • Boardroom The Feyenoord board put their names to it
200 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

27 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Andreas Jungdal: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Squad

Feyenoord lose Ayase Ueda

50 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

199 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

20 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Continental nights are coming to Feyenoord

Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.

Squad

Leo Sauer is named among the best

There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Feyenoord will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.

Market

Aymen Sliti is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Shaqueel van Persie and Feyenoord agree another 5 years.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Nacho Ferri

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

In brief

198 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

13 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Mexx Meerdink: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Loan watch

Hubert Charuży counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Viktoria Plzen runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

No hiding place for Oussama Targhalline

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Oussama Targhalline, and the manager let it.

In brief

197 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

6 May 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Sem Steijn raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Hwang In-Beom and Feyenoord agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Kelvin Neijenhuis

15 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Boardroom

Feyenoord release $14.4M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Loan watch

Noah Bout wants to come home

“I did not go to Twente to sit and watch. I want to come back to Feyenoord and fight for my place.” 12 appearances in 45 matches say the rest.

In brief

196 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

29 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Malcolm Jeng keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

195 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

22 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Aymen Sliti has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Feyenoord, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

No hiding place for Calvin Stengs

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Calvin Stengs, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Ayoub Ouarghi keeps scoring at Zwolle

28 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

In brief

194 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

15 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Gjivai Zechiël is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Hubert Charuży has seen enough of Viktoria Plzen

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Feyenoord, and 0 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.

In brief

193 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

8 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Anis Hadj Moussa was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

Feyenoord release $14.4M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Loan watch

Noah Bout counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Twente runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

No hiding place for Shaqueel van Persie

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Shaqueel van Persie, and the manager let it.

Boardroom

Feyenoord sign a deal worth $42.5M a year

Commercial news is the news nobody sings about and everything else is paid for with. The board will call it a partnership; the accountants will call it the difference between this squad and a smaller one.

Squad

Gonçalo Borges asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

Squad

Calvin Stengs has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Feyenoord will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

Market

Feyenoord put Milan Vidakov up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Milan Vidakov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Boardroom

The Feyenoord production line keeps running

27 graduates out of an academy now rated 15 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.

In brief

192 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

1 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

31 goals and a season average of 8.04 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Leo Sauer leads the rout of Zwolle

5‑1, and Leo Sauer took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

3 goals for Leo Sauer

The match ball belongs to Leo Sauer, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 10. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Charles Vanhoutte keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Only the photograph left for Shaqueel van Persie

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shaqueel van Persie will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Gonçalo Borges

Marked 9.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

191 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

25 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

19 goals and a season average of 8.04. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Mexx Meerdink keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Market

Aymen Sliti has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ayase Ueda

Marked 8.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Feyenoord and NEC take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

190 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

18 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

18 goals and a season average of 8.01. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Gaoussou Diarra keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Match

Feyenoord find a way past Roda

Roda made Feyenoord work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Luciano Valente

Marked 8.89 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Mexx Meerdink

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.22, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

189 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

11 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Leo Sauer is carrying Feyenoord

28 goals and a season average of 8.00. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Player ratings

Shiloh 't Zand runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Timon Wellenreuther

34 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

Givairo Read raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

7 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Player ratings

Anis Hadj Moussa in the eights

A performance of 9.44 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Feyenoord get the job done against Heracles

A 3‑1 win over Heracles, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

In brief

188 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

4 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Nothing got past Hwang In-Beom

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 44 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.98 with 27 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Sem Steijn leads the rout of Willem II

6‑0, and Sem Steijn took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

Malcolm Jeng says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Luciano Valente wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Anis Hadj Moussa and Feyenoord agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

187 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

25 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.92 with 26 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Gjivai Zechiël keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Ayase Ueda

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

Only the photograph left for Aymen Sliti

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Aymen Sliti will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Shiloh 't Zand in the eights

A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Anis Hadj Moussa in the eights

A performance of 9.08 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 9.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Feyenoord and Ajax take a point apiece

It finished 5‑5, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

In brief

186 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

18 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Anis Hadj Moussa

Marked 9.38 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

No hiding place for Sem Steijn

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Sem Steijn, and the manager let it.

Match

Feyenoord find a way past De Graafschap

De Graafschap made Feyenoord work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Squad

Luciano Valente is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.34 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Burnley runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Market

Vitesse expected to open talks for Aymen Sliti

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

185 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

11 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

25 goals and a season average of 7.90 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Feyenoord run riot against Groningen

6‑3, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.

Squad

A day Leo Sauer will not forget

4 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Timon Wellenreuther

67 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 10.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 9.60 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.13, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

184 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

4 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

15 goals and a season average of 7.94. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Feyenoord get their man

The chase for Cam Williams ended with $7.8M changing hands and Boavista out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.

Squad

Calvin Stengs keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Sem Steijn wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Market

Eyes on Aymen Sliti again

The phone has started ringing about Aymen Sliti again, and this time the name on the line is Vitesse. Feyenoord are listening politely and promising nothing.

Market

De Graafschap are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Feyenoord will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta: I did not sign for Feyenoord to play for other people

“Every summer it is another club, another set of team-mates, another manager to convince. I have done all that. Now I want a pre-season at Feyenoord and a proper look at me.” He remains Burnley’s player until the spell runs out — but the argument is with the club that owns him.

In brief

183 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

28 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Ayase Ueda leads the rout of ADO Den Haag

5‑2, and Ayase Ueda took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

Kevin Gadellaa keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Aymen Sliti is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Kevin Gadellaa hands in a written request

“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Feyenoord can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Feyenoord turn down NEC for Wesley Dumfries

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Player ratings

Shiloh 't Zand in the eights

A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente in the eights

A performance of 8.95 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 8.68 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

182 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

21 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

PSV take the derby

0‑1, and no way to dress it up. A derby defeat follows a supporter to work on Monday, and this one will follow him all week.

Squad

Sem Steijn is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.89 with 14 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Heracles come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

NEC expected to open talks for Gjivai Zechiël

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta has seen enough of Burnley

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Feyenoord, and 5 appearances in 32 say he has earned the hearing.

Player ratings

Ayase Ueda keeps on missing

Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.

In brief

181 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

14 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.87 with 21 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Match

Feyenoord bow out of the cup

Utrecht go through and Feyenoord go home, 1‑2 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Hwang In-Beom

Defensive actions: 33. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from ADO Den Haag for Gjivai Zechiël 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.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Timon Wellenreuther

99 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakub Moder

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Ayase Ueda gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 9.12 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

180 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

7 Jan 2030
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

20 goals and a season average of 7.83 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

No mercy from Feyenoord

Vitesse will want this one forgotten quickly: 5‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Feyenoord were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Player ratings

Hwang In-Beom shuts the door

Defensive actions: 33, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Lazio for Ayase Ueda 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.

Match

Feyenoord refuse to drop out of the race

Position 3, 46 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.

Squad

Leo Sauer is named among the best

There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Feyenoord will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.

Match

Feyenoord make it 5 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Feyenoord have 5 straight wins of it.

Player ratings

Anel Ahmedhodžić shuts the door

Defensive actions: 25, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

179 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

31 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

18 goals and a season average of 7.78 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Leo Sauer takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Squad

Gonçalo Borges keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Market

David Min is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Leo Sauer the difference as Feyenoord beat AZ

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Leo Sauer. 6‑4 against AZ, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 10.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 9.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

178 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

24 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Sem Steijn is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.82 with 12 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Feyenoord make it 3 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Feyenoord have 3 straight wins of it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 9.33 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Feyenoord get the job done against Cambuur

A 3‑1 win over Cambuur, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Loan watch

Noah Bout has seen enough of Twente

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Feyenoord, and 8 appearances in 26 say he has earned the hearing.

Squad

No hiding place for Gjivai Zechiël

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gjivai Zechiël, and the manager let it.

In brief

177 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

17 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Aymen Sliti keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Timon Wellenreuther

133 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.64 with 13 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Match

Anis Hadj Moussa sends Feyenoord past Excelsior

It finished 3‑2, and it was Anis Hadj Moussa’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

Player ratings

Anis Hadj Moussa in the eights

A performance of 9.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.17, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

176 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

10 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Sem Steijn

11 goals and a season average of 7.77 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Sem Steijn raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Sem Steijn the difference as Feyenoord beat Twente

Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Sem Steijn. 3‑2 against Twente, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Anis Hadj Moussa

Marked 9.24 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente leaves them behind him

Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

175 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

3 Dec 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Gjivai Zechiël says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.60 with 12 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Market

Luciano Valente wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Market

Only the photograph left for David Min

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. David Min will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Timon Wellenreuther commits to Feyenoord for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Zwolle take the points off Feyenoord

Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.91 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 8.24 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

174 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

26 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Player ratings

Hwang In-Beom shuts the door

Defensive actions: 31, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Salvatore Elia keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Sem Steijn

9 goals and a season average of 7.70 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 9.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Feyenoord get the job done against NEC

A 1‑0 win over NEC, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Jakub Moder

Defensive actions: 19. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

173 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

19 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Feyenoord tear Roda apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 3‑0 against Roda, and it could have been more.

Market

Only the photograph left for Shaqueel van Persie

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shaqueel van Persie will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Sem Steijn

8 goals and a season average of 7.65 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Feyenoord cannot stop winning

3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Mika Mármol

Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.43, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Hwang In-Beom

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.36, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Ayase Ueda in the eights

A performance of 8.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

172 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

12 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Cup progress for Feyenoord

A 6‑0 win over ADO Den Haag, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Hwang In-Beom

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Charles Vanhoutte

Defensive actions: 27. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Squad

Niklas Vesterlund: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Thijs Kraaijeveld

Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

11 goals and a season average of 7.53 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

171 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

5 Nov 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Whatever happens, Feyenoord do not lose

11 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Market

Sem Steijn raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Market

David Min is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

7 goals and a season average of 7.58. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Player ratings

One of those days for Sem Steijn

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.34, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ayase Ueda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.01, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Jakub Moder in the eights

A performance of 8.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

170 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

29 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Whatever happens, Feyenoord do not lose

10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.16 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

6 goals and a season average of 7.50. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Givairo Read gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Match

Feyenoord and Ajax take a point apiece

It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Anis Hadj Moussa

Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Player ratings

Ayase Ueda leaves them behind him

Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente leaves them behind him

Shots: 5. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.

In brief

169 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

22 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Shaqueel van Persie has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Match

9 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 9 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Feyenoord see off De Graafschap

Three points for Feyenoord, 3‑1 the final word against De Graafschap in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 9.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente in the eights

A performance of 8.81 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ayase Ueda

Marked 8.76 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Leo Sauer is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.37 with 8 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Loan watch

Noah Bout counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Twente runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

In brief

168 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

15 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

3 goals for Shiloh 't Zand

The match ball belongs to Shiloh 't Zand, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Squad

Lewin Blum: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 8. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Feyenoord get the job done against Groningen

A 5‑3 win over Groningen, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.

Player ratings

One of those days for Shiloh 't Zand

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 10.00, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Player ratings

Gonçalo Borges in the eights

A performance of 9.03 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Hwang In-Beom in the eights

A performance of 8.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

167 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

8 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Only the photograph left for David Min

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. David Min will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Hwang In-Beom commits to Feyenoord for another 2 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

7 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 7 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anis Hadj Moussa

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.44, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Squad

Sem Steijn is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.42 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

No hiding place for Mexx Meerdink

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mexx Meerdink, and the manager let it.

Match

Sem Steijn rescues a point for Feyenoord

It needed Sem Steijn to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Utrecht, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

166 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

1 Oct 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Jakub Moder wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Match

Feyenoord find a way past ADO Den Haag

ADO Den Haag made Feyenoord work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Luciano Valente

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.41, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Mexx Meerdink

Marked 8.07 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

7 goals and a season average of 7.27 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

In brief

165 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

24 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Ayase Ueda wins the derby for Feyenoord

Derby days make names, and Ayase Ueda made his against PSV. 3‑1, bragging rights secured, and one half of town will be tired of hearing about him by Tuesday.

Market

Only the photograph left for Shaqueel van Persie

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shaqueel van Persie will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Can Bozdogan keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Player ratings

Shiloh 't Zand wins the derby

There are goals, and then there are goals against that particular opponent. The Feyenoord support have their bragging rights for a year and they know exactly whose name is on them.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Ayase Ueda

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen lets one through his hands

A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.

Loan watch

Noah Bout counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Twente runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

The terraces

Everybody has an opinion about Ayase Ueda

He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.

In brief

164 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

17 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Charles Vanhoutte: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Match

5 matches without a win for Feyenoord

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Feyenoord are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 9.11 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Mika Mármol

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Leo Sauer

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Match

Honours even between Feyenoord and Heerenveen

3‑3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta wants to come home

“I did not go to Burnley to sit and watch. I want to come back to Feyenoord and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 14 matches say the rest.

Market

The Charles Vanhoutte conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Heidenheim will make the call about Charles Vanhoutte this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

163 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

10 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Vasilis Zagaritis keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Heracles for Aymen Sliti 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.

Market

Only the photograph left for David Min

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. David Min will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Givairo Read wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Match

No end in sight to Feyenoord's wait for a win

4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Feyenoord has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Diego Rambocus

14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Mexx Meerdink

Marked 8.01 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Gaoussou Diarra

Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

In brief

162 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

3 Sep 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Andreas Jungdal keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Heidenheim come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

Luciano Valente wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Market

Only the photograph left for Roberto Gagliardini

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Gagliardini will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

No hiding place for Timon Wellenreuther

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Timon Wellenreuther, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 8.95 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 8.83 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Honours even between Feyenoord and AZ

2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

161 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

27 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Squad

Jerry St. Juste keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Only the photograph left for Shaqueel van Persie

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shaqueel van Persie will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Heracles for Gjivai Zechiël 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Steijn

Marked 9.18 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

The cruellest goal, and it is Gonçalo Borges's

A touch he did not want, a bounce he could not have read, and his name in the wrong column. There is no consoling a man after one of these, and Feyenoord will not try tonight.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

One of those days for Anis Hadj Moussa

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.30, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Match

Honours even between Feyenoord and Cambuur

3‑3, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

160 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

20 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

David Min says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

A bad afternoon for Feyenoord against Excelsior

2‑3 to Excelsior, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

Squad

No hiding place for Hwang In-Beom

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hwang In-Beom, and the manager let it.

Market

Aymen Sliti attracts admirers

The name of Aymen Sliti has come up in conversations Feyenoord were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.57, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

Sem Steijn in the eights

A performance of 8.27 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Anel Ahmedhodžić in the eights

A performance of 8.27 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Market

ADO Den Haag expected to open talks for Shaqueel van Persie

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

159 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

13 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 10 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Market

Zwolle come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

8 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 8 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Boardroom

A new deal for Frenkie Promes

The board have signed the man in the dugout to a longer contract, which says more than any statement of support. Stability is easy to promise and costly to keep.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Kenneth Depay is a Feyenoord player again

He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.

Market

As if he never left: Jeroen Blind returns

Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Jeroen Blind is a Feyenoord player again, and the town has its story of the summer.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 9.96 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

158 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

6 Aug 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Feyenoord turn down Lazio for Ayase Ueda

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Lewin Blum: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Sem Steijn wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Market

Only the photograph left for David Min

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. David Min will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Jerry St. Juste stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Jerry St. Juste and Feyenoord agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

157 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

30 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Can Bozdogan says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Heracles for Nacho Ferri

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Only the photograph left for Roberto Gagliardini

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Gagliardini will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Noah Bout has seen enough of Twente

“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Feyenoord, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.

Market

ADO Den Haag expected to open talks for Gjivai Zechiël

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

In brief

156 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

23 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Business is business: Ramiz Zerrouki goes

Heracles paid $5.6M and Feyenoord took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from AZ for Roberto Gagliardini 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.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

At 21, Ayoub Ouarghi is already the best thing here

An average of 7.15 in a first team he is several years too young for. Feyenoord have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Squad

No hiding place for Anis Hadj Moussa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anis Hadj Moussa, and the manager let it.

Market

The Shaqueel van Persie conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: ADO Den Haag will make the call about Shaqueel van Persie this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

155 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

16 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Ramiz Zerrouki asks to leave Feyenoord

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Cambuur for Aymen Sliti

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Heracles watching Nacho Ferri

The interest is real enough to have reached print. Feyenoord have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.

Loan watch

Izu Onunta counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Burnley runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Market

Heracles are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Feyenoord will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Niklas Vesterlund

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Anis Hadj Moussa trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Squad

The transfer that hurt Luciano Valente most

Somebody else's move, somebody else's headline. What it left at Feyenoord is an empty peg and a footballer who keeps glancing at it.

In brief

  • Boardroom Feyenoord keep producing them
  • Boardroom The Feyenoord board put their names to it
154 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

9 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from NEC for Gjivai Zechiël 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.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

AZ join the queue for Roberto Gagliardini

Add another name to the list: AZ have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Roberto Gagliardini. The answer from Feyenoord has not changed — yet.

Squad

Ayoub Ouarghi stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Ayoub Ouarghi and Feyenoord agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

No hiding place for Charles Vanhoutte

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Charles Vanhoutte, and the manager let it.

Market

Twente are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Feyenoord will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

In brief

153 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

2 Jul 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Jerry St. Juste says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Heidenheim for Charles Vanhoutte 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.

Market

Only the photograph left for Roberto Gagliardini

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Gagliardini will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Boardroom

$14.4M on the table at Feyenoord

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Market

The Gjivai Zechiël conversation is coming

Everyone has stopped pretending: Zwolle will make the call about Gjivai Zechiël this week. Feyenoord have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.

In brief

152 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

25 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Only the photograph left for Ramiz Zerrouki

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ramiz Zerrouki will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Ayoub Ouarghi is the real thing at 21

A season average of 7.15 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Feyenoord know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.

Market

Charles Vanhoutte attracts admirers

The name of Charles Vanhoutte has come up in conversations Feyenoord were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.

Squad

No hiding place for Ayoub Ouarghi

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ayoub Ouarghi, and the manager let it.

Squad

Ayoub Ouarghi has had enough of the bench

“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Feyenoord will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.

In brief

151 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

18 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Cambuur for Aymen Sliti 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.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Heracles expected to open talks for Ramiz Zerrouki

Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Feyenoord will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.

Squad

Gjivai Zechiël gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Squad

Malcolm Jeng knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Feyenoord, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Squad

A wage question at Feyenoord

David van der Werff has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.

In brief

150 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

11 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Malcolm Jeng says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Feyenoord turn down ADO Den Haag for Gjivai Zechiël

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Givairo Read raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Kiyani Zeggen commits to Feyenoord for another 5 years.

Squad

No hiding place for Anis Hadj Moussa

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anis Hadj Moussa, and the manager let it.

In brief

149 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

4 Jun 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Anis Hadj Moussa says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Heracles come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Market

David Min asks to leave Feyenoord

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Luciano Valente wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Squad

Givairo Read signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Givairo Read commits to Feyenoord for another 5 years.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

148 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

28 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

David Min: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Roberto Gagliardini has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

147 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

21 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Boardroom

Continental nights are coming to Feyenoord

Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.

Squad

Leo Sauer is named among the best

There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Feyenoord will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.

Squad

Lewin Blum: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Ramiz Zerrouki has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Sem Steijn signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Sem Steijn and Feyenoord agree another 5 years.

Loan watch

18 goals on loan for Shiloh 't Zand

33 appearances at Groningen and the goals keep coming. Feyenoord are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

146 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

14 May 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Boardroom

Feyenoord have won it

This is the season the town will measure the next twenty against. The trophy travels home with the squad, and the route through the streets was agreed days ago.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Timon Wellenreuther

There were 12 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Alejandro Zendejas is carrying Feyenoord

24 goals and a season average of 7.93. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Alejandro Zendejas sends Feyenoord through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Alejandro Zendejas obliged against Ajax. 1‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Feyenoord.

Squad

Gonçalo Borges keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Player ratings

Alejandro Zendejas wins the derby

There are goals, and then there are goals against that particular opponent. The Feyenoord support have their bragging rights for a year and they know exactly whose name is on them.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

145 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

7 May 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Sem Steijn wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Market

Only the photograph left for Nacho Ferri

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nacho Ferri will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Timon Wellenreuther commits to Feyenoord for another 2 years.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Boardroom

Feyenoord release $14.4M for the manager

The board have put money on the table rather than an encouraging word. What happens to it now is somebody else's problem, and somebody else's job.

Loan watch

Ilias Azaouagh counts the days

“I watch every Feyenoord game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Parma runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther knocks on the manager’s door

“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Timon Wellenreuther trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Loan watch

8 goals on loan for Fabiano Rust

34 appearances at Ternana and the goals keep coming. Feyenoord are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

Squad

No hiding place for Aymen Sliti

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Aymen Sliti, and the manager let it.

In brief

144 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

30 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Only the photograph left for Roberto Gagliardini

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Gagliardini will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther asks for a word with the manager

“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.

In brief

143 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

23 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Only the photograph left for Ramiz Zerrouki

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ramiz Zerrouki will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Loan watch

The goals keep arriving from Shiloh 't Zand’s exile

18 goals in 33 games at Groningen — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Feyenoord updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

In brief

142 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

16 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

David Min says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

In brief

141 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

9 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Market

Nacho Ferri has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Squad

Feyenoord count the cost of losing Kelvin Neijenhuis

45 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Loan watch

Ilias Azaouagh wants to come home

“I did not go to Parma to sit and watch. I want to come back to Feyenoord and fight for my place.” 14 appearances in 42 matches say the rest.

Squad

Mexx Meerdink knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Feyenoord, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Loan watch

Fabiano Rust keeps scoring at Ternana

33 appearances away from home and 8 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Squad

The manager makes an example of Aymen Sliti

“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.

Market

The Anel Ahmedhodžić question follows Feyenoord around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Anel Ahmedhodžić’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Loan watch

3 goals on loan for Izu Onunta

18 appearances at Bari and the goals keep coming. Feyenoord are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.

In brief

140 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

2 Apr 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

13 goals and a season average of 8.00 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Market

Only the photograph left for Roberto Gagliardini

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Gagliardini will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Whatever happens, Feyenoord do not lose

6 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Ayase Ueda gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.95 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Boardroom

$14.4M on the table at Feyenoord

The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.

Squad

Mexx Meerdink knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Feyenoord, and both men came out saying it was fine.

Match

Honours even between Feyenoord and Zwolle

1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.

In brief

139 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

26 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

No mercy from Feyenoord

NEC will want this one forgotten quickly: 5‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Feyenoord were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

Ayase Ueda takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Squad

Charles Vanhoutte says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Feyenoord make it 5 in a row

Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Feyenoord have 5 straight wins of it.

Squad

Sem Steijn is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.78 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Market

Only the photograph left for Ramiz Zerrouki

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ramiz Zerrouki will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Loan watch

Shiloh 't Zand keeps scoring at Groningen

32 appearances away from home and 18 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Hwang In-Beom

Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

In brief

138 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

19 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Alejandro Zendejas is carrying Feyenoord

24 goals and a season average of 7.94. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Match

Mexx Meerdink sends Feyenoord through

Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Mexx Meerdink obliged against AZ. 3‑2 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Feyenoord.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Andreas Jungdal says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

4 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Shiloh 't Zand keeps scoring at Groningen

31 appearances away from home and 16 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Match

Ayase Ueda sends Feyenoord past Roda

It finished 3‑1, and it was Ayase Ueda’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

In brief

137 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

12 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Rayan Atikallah leads the rout of Heracles

4‑0, and Rayan Atikallah took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Squad

Rayan Atikallah is carrying Feyenoord

21 goals and a season average of 7.62. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Nacho Ferri has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Market

Givairo Read wants more than Feyenoord are offering

“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Hwang In-Beom

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Rayan Atikallah in the eights

A performance of 9.20 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

Luciano Valente in the eights

A performance of 9.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Anis Hadj Moussa

Marked 8.98 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

136 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

5 Mar 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

No mercy from Feyenoord

Willem II will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑1, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Feyenoord were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

12 goals and a season average of 7.97 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Market

Luciano Valente raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Hwang In-Beom and Feyenoord agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Loan watch

Shiloh 't Zand keeps scoring at Groningen

29 appearances away from home and 15 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Sem Verdonk

Marked 9.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief

135 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

26 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Ajax take the derby

2‑3, and no way to dress it up. A derby defeat follows a supporter to work on Monday, and this one will follow him all week.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Alejandro Zendejas

23 goals and a season average of 7.91 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Lewis Schouten: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Only the photograph left for Ramiz Zerrouki

Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ramiz Zerrouki will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Feyenoord the goodbyes have quietly begun.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Alejandro Zendejas in the eights

A performance of 8.89 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.30 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Ayase Ueda

Marked 8.14 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

The team sheet said everything about Mexx Meerdink

Warm-up bib, ninety minutes of watching, and a handshake at the end that fooled nobody. Big matches tell you who a manager trusts; this one told Mexx Meerdink.

In brief

134 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

19 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Alejandro Zendejas

22 goals and a season average of 7.88 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Match

Alejandro Zendejas leads the rout of De Graafschap

5‑1, and Alejandro Zendejas took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Feyenoord tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.

Match

Feyenoord are in among the leaders

Position 3 and 60 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.

Squad

Lewin Blum keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Gjivai Zechiël is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

One of those days for Alejandro Zendejas

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.29, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 9.19 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Rayan Atikallah

Marked 9.05 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

133 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

12 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Alejandro Zendejas

20 goals and a season average of 7.84 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Can Bozdogan: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Nacho Ferri is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Cambuur for Aymen Sliti 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.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Hwang In-Beom

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Rayan Atikallah

Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Jakub Moder

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

In brief

132 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

5 Feb 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Squad

Alejandro Zendejas is in the form of his life

A season average of 7.80 with 19 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.

Squad

Niklas Vesterlund keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Feyenoord may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

Market

Feyenoord say no — this time

The offer from Heracles for Ramiz Zerrouki 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.

Market

Sem Steijn wants to know where this is going

“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Feyenoord hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.

Market

Etienne Vaessen is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Match

Luciano Valente’s goal not enough for Feyenoord

Luciano Valente scored, and precious little else went right: 2‑3 to Utrecht, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.

Squad

No hiding place for Leo Sauer

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Leo Sauer, and the manager let it.

Loan watch

Kelvin Neijenhuis wants to come home

“I did not go to Ajax to sit and watch. I want to come back to Feyenoord and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 24 matches say the rest.

In brief

131 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

29 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

18 unbeaten for Feyenoord

Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 18 matches without defeat is a foundation Feyenoord did not have in the autumn.

Match

Feyenoord tear ADO Den Haag apart

Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 5‑2 against ADO Den Haag, and it could have been more.

Squad

Rayan Atikallah takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Rayan Atikallah

18 goals and a season average of 7.59 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Mats Deijl: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Shaqueel van Persie has one foot out of the door

Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Feyenoord they have already started talking about him in the past tense.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

One of those days for Rayan Atikallah

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.94, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

Player ratings

One of those days for Leo Sauer

There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.

In brief

130 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

22 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Steady

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 17. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Kiyani Zeggen keeps Feyenoord in it on his own

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Alejandro Zendejas

18 goals and a season average of 7.78 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Oussama Targhalline: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Roberto Gagliardini asks to leave Feyenoord

“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Zwolle for Nacho Ferri

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Market

Ramiz Zerrouki is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Feyenoord is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Market

Zwolle join the queue for Gjivai Zechiël

Add another name to the list: Zwolle have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Gjivai Zechiël. The answer from Feyenoord has not changed — yet.

In brief

129 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

15 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Triumph

Match

Feyenoord through in the cup

A 2‑1 win over Twente, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.

Market

Mexx Meerdink is a Feyenoord player

The fee is $12.0M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. AZ drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.

Squad

Leo Sauer is carrying Feyenoord

11 goals and a season average of 7.88. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Ajax come back empty-handed

The bid was some way short and Feyenoord did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.

Match

Nobody wants to play Feyenoord right now

3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.

Squad

Hwang In-Beom in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Leo Sauer in the eights

A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Feyenoord see off Heerenveen

Three points for Feyenoord, 3‑2 the final word against Heerenveen in a contest settled by the finer margins.

Squad

No hiding place for Ayase Ueda

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ayase Ueda, and the manager let it.

In brief

128 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

8 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 14. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Alejandro Zendejas is carrying Feyenoord

17 goals and a season average of 7.76. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Market

Feyenoord turn down Utrecht for Kiyani Zeggen

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

Squad

Gjivai Zechiël says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Luciano Valente was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Player ratings

Nothing got past Jakub Moder

Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.

Player ratings

A defender's afternoon for Hwang In-Beom

Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Alejandro Zendejas

Marked 9.29 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Squad

Timon Wellenreuther gets it from the manager

“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.

In brief

127 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

1 Jan 2029
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Still nobody has beaten Feyenoord

The unbeaten run reaches 13. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.

Squad

Leo Sauer is named among the best

There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Feyenoord will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Alejandro Zendejas

Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Shaqueel van Persie: that is not what I was promised

“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Feyenoord have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

Market

Mika Mármol raises the bar for Feyenoord

“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at Feyenoord heard it as anything else.

Squad

Luciano Valente in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Feyenoord this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Luciano Valente

Marked 8.78 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.28 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

In brief

126 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

25 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Upbeat

Match

Whatever happens, Feyenoord do not lose

12 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.

Squad

Defences have started doubling up on Leo Sauer

10 goals and a season average of 7.75 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.

Squad

Tempers go at Feyenoord

Hwang In-Beom was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.

Squad

No hiding place for Givairo Read

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Givairo Read, and the manager let it.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 8.80 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Luciano Valente

Marked 8.69 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Loan watch

Shiloh 't Zand keeps scoring at Groningen

19 appearances away from home and 11 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.

Loan watch

Kelvin Neijenhuis wants to come home

“I did not go to Ajax to sit and watch. I want to come back to Feyenoord and fight for my place.” 4 appearances in 18 matches say the rest.

Match

Feyenoord share the spoils with Cambuur

A 2‑2 draw with Cambuur leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.

In brief

125 Edition

The Feyenoord Gazette

18 Dec 2028
From our football correspondent Triumph

Squad

Oussama Targhalline says Feyenoord went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Match

Feyenoord cannot stop winning

5 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Kiyani Zeggen

There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.

Squad

Sem Steijn is carrying Feyenoord

8 goals and a season average of 7.76. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.

Squad

Leo Sauer signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Leo Sauer commits to Feyenoord for another 5 years.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Leo Sauer

Marked 9.17 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Player ratings

A masterclass from Rayan Atikallah

Marked 9.07 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.

Match

Rayan Atikallah sends Feyenoord past Excelsior

It finished 2‑1, and it was Rayan Atikallah’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Feyenoord.

Player ratings

Alejandro Zendejas in the eights

A performance of 8.41 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

In brief