Jelle Van Damme off to Southampton
08 June: Jelle Van Damme is no longer an Ajacied. The
Belgian international signed a contract at English
Premiership outfit Southampton today. Ajax and Southampton did
not reveal the transfer fee paid for the left-footed defender,
but Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe stated that The
Saints paid a "substantial fee" for Van Damme: some 3
million euros according to Dutch football weekly Voetbal
International. The BBC reports a fee of 2.5 million
English pounds (3.75 million euros).
Lowe was delighted with the landing of the 20 year-old
Belgian. On the official
Southampton website the club chairman was quoted
saying: "He is a tough character and a good player. He has a
fair amount of experience for someone his age and he is already
an established international with a big future."
Jelle Van Damme (born 10 October 1983) first joined Ajax on
a try-out in February 2002. He
convinced the technical staff of his qualities and signed a contract for three season on 30 May
2002. Coming from Germinal Beerschot Antwerp, the Belgian
club in which Ajax held a majority's stake at the time, it was
the first time for Ajax's Belgian 'satellite club' to yield a
player deemed good enough for Ajax-1: when he signed his first
player contract at the ArenA he had already made his first team
début, in the Eredivisie away game at Sparta Rotterdam,
on 14 April 2002.
However, in the two years thereafter Van Damme never
conquered a first team slot, mainly due to stiff competition of
left fullbacks Maxwell and John O'Brien. He appeared in the
first team in 18 Eredivisie games, 4 domestic cup
fixtures and - remarkably - no less than 10 Champions League
matches, plus another two Champions League qualifiers. The only
time he scored for Ajax was in an unofficial fixture:
the October 2003 friendly at Djurgårdens IF in
Stockholm, Sweden.
Although Van Damme never became a starter for Ajax, the
technical staff did believe in his qualities, which is
underscored by the fact that he was offered a
contract extension until 2007 in November 2003. Yet,
in the 2003-2004 season the left-footer noticed that his number
of first team appearances was decreasing rather than
increasing. He saw first team action in only two games after
the winter break. The 4 April home fixture against FC Groningen
was his last official appearance for Ajax-1.
Van Damme repeatedly stated in the press that he would love
to stay at Ajax, but only if the coaches could guarantee him
more playing time, if only because he does not want to lose his
slot in the Belgian national team, for which he made his
début in March of this year and had seven appearances so
far. Coach Ronald Koeman admitted that he could not give such
guarantee for the upcoming season.
None of the reports published today confirms for how many
years Van Damme signed. But one thing's for sure: Southampton
chairman Rupert Lowe foresees a great time in Southampton
for the Belgian: "We think he will do well in he Premiership.
It is a big signing for us and I would think the fans will love
him as a player as well as enjoying the chance to have the
name Van Damme on their shirts!" (MP)
Sources: Ajax.nl, BBC, Voetbal International, Saints
FC.co.uk
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