Kenzo Goudmijn, a midfielder for AZ Alkmaar who is close to moving to the East Midlands, will be Derby County’s fourth summer acquisition.
After achieving automatic promotion from the third tier, the Rams returned to the Championship at the second attempt in 2023/24 and have demonstrated a proactive approach to their transfer business.
Paul Warne has already added two experienced frontmen to his team, Kayden Jackson and Jerry Yates, as well as Ben Osborn, a utility player from Sheffield United who was a Rams fan when he was younger. The Pride Park faithful will always clamor for more additions.
Specifically, Derby have been frantic to support their positions in midfield following advancement and the return – until further notice – of credit star Ebou Adams to Cardiff City, an arrangement which they are obviously hoping to make long-lasting given the Gambia worldwide’s impact during the final part of the time.
In any case, Derby have purportedly passed up the marking of Icelandic midfielder Stefán Teitur Thórdarson, who is accepted to be surrounding a transition to Title rivals Preston North End. Regardless, they’re currently set to at long last add another midfielder to their positions by marking Goudmijn.
Kenzo Goudmijn from AZ Alkmaar will be signed by Derby County. On X, a journalist named Ian Baker said that Goudmijn has signed a four-year contract with Derby and will undergo a medical today before being traded to the Rams for £600,000.
The 22-year-old came through the AZ Alkmaar academy and is still contracted to the two-time Eredivisie champions as things stand, although the majority of his short career to date has been spent with their reserve side in the second division or out on loan with Excelsior.
Having previously made over 50 appearances for Excelsior on loan between January 2022 and June 2023, Goudmijn penned another loan deal with the club in January and returned one goal and four assists from 23 matches, but it wasn’t enough as they were ultimately relegated.
| Enzo Goudmijn’s 23/24 stats for AZ Alkmaar, as per FotMob | |
| Appearances | 23 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 4 |
| Successful dribbles | 55 |
| Chances created | 28 |
| Tackles won | |
Although Kenzo Goudmijn is a mystery, Derby County has a lot to be excited about. In the past, many players who left the Eredivisie to play in English football have tried and failed. Because of this, the Goudmijn signing may warrant some caution. He is also a mystery, but there is a good chance that won’t last for long. The former youth international for the Netherlands put up some really impressive numbers for a team that was relegated last season, particularly in terms of his dribbling metrics.
Derby lack a dynamic ball-carrying presence in midfield and Goudmijn, who can play in a variety of roles across the middle of the park, could do exactly that. It’ll be interesting to see how Warne decides to utilise him in 2024/25, that’s for sure.
Because they are two very different midfielders, it is unlikely that the arrival of Goudmijn will end their pursuit of Cardiff’s Adams. This is another capture that Derby should really seal in the coming weeks. With both Goudmijn and Adams, Derby’s midfield one year from now could truly energize.
