Earlier this week, Southampton announced the signing of Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg on a season-long loan deal from Fulham.
Having managed just one appearance during a temporary stint at Monaco last term, the 32-year-old shot-stopper is looking to muscle his way into the Saints’ starting lineup, in light of last season’s injury to first choice keeper, Frazer Forster:
“I’m very pleased that I’ve joined. It’s a big, nice club that will play European football – and I can play. Last year I didn’t play a lot, so it’s an opportunity for me. I’m grateful. The last two years weren’t the best of my career. As they say in England: the best is yet to come.”
The History
Stekelenburg trained at the youth academies of Zandvoort ’75 and VV Schoten, before teaming up with Ajax at the age of 15. He eventually broke into the first team in February 2002 and went on to record eight further Eredivisie appearances that season. Stekelenburg assumed the role of back-up for the next two campaigns, being handed 22 league outings.
In his first two terms as Ajax’s number one shot-stopper, the club secured back-to-back KNVB Cup trophies, while the 2007/08 season saw Stekelenburg named as Ajax’s Player of the Year. The Haarlem-born keeper played a bit-part role in 2008/09 due to injury but swiftly reclaimed his starting berth after rehabilitation. Stekelenburg scooped Ajax’s Player of the Year for a second time in the wake of the Dutch giants’ title-winning 2010/11 campaign.
Roma then came calling in the summer of 2011, snapping up the stopper in a €6 million deal. The first Dutch player to sign for the Serie A stalwarts, Stekelenburg managed 29 league appearances in his debut season but tallied just 19 starts in the 2012/13 campaign, prompting a switch to Fulham in June 2013.
Stekelenburg played under Rene Meulensteen but was cast into the shadows following the appointment of Felix Magath, with the German boss preferring David Stockdale between the sticks. As a result, the 6ft 6in keeper moved on loan to Monaco for the 2014/15 season, where he played second fiddle to their incumbent number one, Danijel Subašić, chalking up just eight appearances that included just a single Ligue 1 outing.
In the wake of Edwin van der Sar’s retirement, Stekelenburg established himself as the first-choice Netherlands keeper, notching 54 appearances between 2004 and 2012. He’s since fallen out of favour on the international scene, with a lack of playing time precluding a return to Oranje.
The Prospects
With three Southampton defenders (Nathaniel Clyne, Ryan Bertrand and Jose Fonte) among the top-six scoring defenders after the club racked up 15 clean sheets last term, it’s safe to assume that the Saints’ rearguard starters are due a price hike. As such, the keeper situation could present the most valuable route into their backline.
With some reports suggesting Fraser Forster could be sidelined for the majority of the upcoming season, Kelvin Davis, Paulo Gazzaniga and Stekelenburg will be tussling for that number one berth. Certainly, the latter’s recruitment would suggest that Ronald Koeman wasn’t satisfied with his options in the squad – a notion reinforced by the fact that Southampton recorded just one clean sheet in eight fixtures following Forster’s injury.
Perhaps crucially, it’s worth noting that Koeman shares history with Stekelenburg – having handed the keeper his debut at Ajax – so it’s unlikely the Fulham man would have made the switch without assurances of pitch time. Southampton’s pre-season campaign – which kicks off on July 8 and includes a couple of Europa League qualifying fixtures – will hopefully give a clear indication as to who he favours in Forster’s absence.
With Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares already on the books, and Clyne imminently set to join former loanee Toby Alderweireld through the exit door, Southampton’s defence could be set for major restructuring for the second successive season. However, the Saints coped admirably with the loss of Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and Dejan Lovren last summer, so there’s every chance they could retain their defensive diligence under Koeman’s considered approach.
Given their favourable opening quintet of fixtures (new, EVE, wat, NOR, wba), Southampton defensive coverage looks like a good bet in the early stages. Aside from the two match-ups against newly promoted outfits, the Saints face off against three sides that they shut out at least once in the previous campaign, heightening their defensive points potential from the offset.
Further Reference
Maarten Stekelenburg Wikipedia Page
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