The Top Five Best Signings From Holland In Premier League History

David Tully

3 years ago

Categories: Galleries, Manchester United News, Transfer News

Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, West Ham, Wolves

After looking at the best signings from Germany in our last post, this week we will focus on players who moved to England from the Netherlands.

There have been many instances where players have failed to meet expectations after arriving from the Eredivisie. The step up required to play in the English top-flight is quite steep so teams are always taking a gamble when they snap up stars from the Dutch league.

However, we have put together a list of five names who all went on to have excellent careers in this country.

Press the next page as we go through the five best Premier League players who were signed from Dutch clubs.

5) Arjen Robben (PSV Eindhoven to Chelsea – £12.1m)

Although the Dutchman only spent three short years at Stamford Bridge, the winger won an impressive six major trophies during that time, including two Premier League titles.

Despite being a firm fixture in the starting lineup throughout his time with the Blues, Robben was surprisingly sold to Real Madrid for £24m in 2007.

4) Christian Eriksen (Ajax to Tottenham – £11m)

The Danish playmaker was a very influential figure for Spurs during his six and a half years in London. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018 but he didn’t win any trophies whilst in England.

Eriksen helped Tottenham to a second-place finish in 2017, while he also reached the Champions League in 2019. He moved to Inter Milan midway through the 2019/20 campaign.

3) Jaap Stam (PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United – £10.6m)

A commanding centre-back, the Dutchman played an integral role as United dominated the domestic game in the late 90s to early 00s. In the three seasons he spent with the Red Devils, he won three league titles.

During his final campaign at Old Trafford, Stam helped secure the historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles. However, a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson saw him leave for Lazio in 2001.

2) Luis Suarez (Ajax to Liverpool – £22.8m)

Despite being a controversial figure in English football due to a number of unsavoury incidents, there can be no doubt that the Uruguayan international was a successful signing for Liverpool.

In the three and a half seasons he spent at Anfield, Suarez scored 82 goals and provided 47 assists in 133 appearances before being sold to Barcelona for £75m in 2014.

1) Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United – £19m)

The Dutchman was the archetypal goal poacher. He did not possess a great deal of pace but he was always in the right place at the right time to put the ball in the back of the net.

Over the course of five years, van Nistelrooy won the Premier League Golden Boot, as well as the PFA Player of the Year and four major trophies. He left for Real Madrid in 2006.