Perhaps he was simply the right man at the wrong time for Southampton.
Had a player of his ilk arrived in the summer of 2023 – rather than the summer of 2015 – it is not hard to imagine a deep-lying, pass-master playmaker becoming a something of a posterboy for a Russell Martin-lead side.
Under Martin, Southampton’s possession-obsessed head coach, midfielders capable of taking the ball under pressure and manipulating the game to their will are not only admired, they are pretty much integral to the Saints’ gameplan.
There is a reason why Martin pushed to reunite with his former Swansea City stalwart Flynn Downes, and then forced through a permanent deal worth £18 million after a fine loan spell on the banks of the Solent.
The manager’s patient, probing gameplan also explains why the metronomic Will Smallbone became a regular starter while Carlos Alcaraz – a more exciting but less consistent performer – found himself in and out of the XI before joining Juventus on loan in January.
Former Southampton man likened to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo
So for Jordy Clasie – an £8 million signing from Feyenoord nearly a decade ago – one wonders how different his ill-fated Southampton spell would have been had he moved to St Mary’s under a coach with Martin’s principles.
Now 33 years of age, Clasie has at least put that difficult spell in England behind him.
The veteran maestro has been the lynchpin at the heart of AZ’s midfield for the last five years now, his string-pulling tendencies from the number six role arguably making him Alkmaar’s answer to Andrea Pirlo.
“He is really mega important for AZ,” Alex Pastoor, the coach who worked with a young Clasie at Excelsior, tells Ziggo Sport. “I have seen a lot of his matches lately.”
Pastoor, who was most recently spotted managing Almere City in the Dutch top flight, highlights the role Clasie played in the rise of Tijjani Reijnders.
He believes that, without Clasie holding the fort and giving Reijnders the freedom to march into the final third, the buccaneering Dutchman might not have secured his £17 million move to Italian giants AC Milan.
“He can largely attribute the transfer of Tijjani Reijnders to AC Milan to his credit,” Pastoor adds. “Reijnders could do whatever he wanted, so to speak, because Clasie always covered his back.
“I compared Jordy in the past – but certainly now – with Andrea Pirlo. Before he took the ball by closing a passing line, he already saw where the ball had to go. For me, Clasie is really the master passer.
“Players like him, who can make others play better, really have an undervalued role.”
Russell Martin delighted to re-sign Flynn Downes
These days, it is Downes who plays such a role in the Southampton team which beat Leeds United in May’s play-off final.
Martin even joked that he would ‘cry myself to sleep’ if the Saints failed to secure a permanent deal for the former West Ham United loanee, via talkSPORT.
There would be only tears of joy, however, Downes putting pen to paper on a four-year deal in mid-July.
“We’re thrilled to bring Flynn back,” Martin, who is also hoping to reunite with his former MK Dons starlet Matt O’Riley, told the Southampton website. “It was a big priority for us this summer and to get it done early in pre-season is also really important for us.
“He was such an influential player for us last season, both on and off the pitch. He’s a brilliant character, he’s aggressive and physical in his play, technically excellent with the ball and a fantastic athlete too.
“He built really strong relationships with the rest of the players and the staff, and I think you could tell the connection he created with the fans throughout last season. So I’m sure everyone’s delighted at the news.
“I know how excited and hungry he is about making the step up to the Premier League with us, and he’s someone who I really believe is more than ready for that transition and who can also continue to develop even more with us.”
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