Goalkeepers' carrousel: Vermeer goes, Heijblok comes
24 May: Kenneth Vermeer, third goalkeeper of
Ajax-1 during the 2006-2007 campaign, will leave the
Amsterdam ArenA for a while. Vermeer and Ajax agreed that it is
about time for the 21 year-old to prove himself on
the highest level. He will be able to do so at Willem II, the
club that landed Vermeer on a one season loan deal today. Ajax
also confirmed the arrival of a successor: Erik Heijblok,
28 year-old goalkeeper of FC Haarlem.
Kenneth Vermeer (born Amsterdam, 10 January 1986) has had a
rather strange 2006-2007 season. He saw plenty of first
team action in pre-season, battling it out with Maarten
Stekelenburg and newcomer Dennis Gentenaar. As expected,
Maarten Stekelenburg started the season as Ajax's #1, but
Vermeer and Gentenaar (who both picked up some
injuries as the season progressed) changed places as the
respective numbers two and three.
Vermeer got to make his official Ajax-1 début in the
UEFA Cup return leg against Norway's IK Start on 28 September
2006. It would turn out to be his only official first team
appearance of the season, but he did spend most of the
time on the training pitch with the first team, so that he only
played 11 matches for Young Ajax. Kenneth Vermeer, in other
words, fell between two stools a bit, which can never be a
good thing for a 21 year-old goalkeeper.
Kenneth Vermeer's contract with Ajax was extended until
the summer of 2010 on
02 February of this year. He'll be back for sure.
For now, however, Ajax require a new third
man. And guess what: they already have one! On the very day
Vermeer's temporary move to Tilburg was announced, the club
also confirmed the arrival of Erik Heijblok, the 28 year-old
goalkeeper of First Division side FC Haarlem. He penned a one
year contract at the Amsterdam ArenA. An option for Ajax to
extend the deal until the summer of 2010 is included.
Erik Heijblok (born Wieringen, 29 June 1978) 'went
professional' in the summer of 2003, after a spell
at Hoofdklasse ('Top Class') amateur side
Hollandia. In four seasons and 126 league appearances
for FC Haarlem he developed into a reliable goalkeeper.
Starting on 05 July (the day of the first training at the
ArenA) Erik Heijblok and Dennis Gentenaar can battle for the
second and third slots in the pecking order for the new season,
behind the undisputed number one goalkeeper of Ajax-1, Maarten
Stekelenburg. (MP)
Source: Ajax.nl
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