If Heerenveen supporters were fearing life without their talismanic midfielder, last Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to PEC Zwolle will not have eased those concerns.
As Joey Veerman sat out the match after contracting COVID, the Eredivisie outfit slumped to one of their most disappointing performances of the entire campaign, lacking any semblance of thrust and dynamism as their creative lynchpin watched on from home.
If this was a glance into Heerenveen’s future, the prospects certainly don’t look good.
Because while the Frisians managed to retain the services of Veerman last summer amid interest from Southampton, it would be a major surprise if they managed to do so again. Corriere dello Sport claims that Gian Piero Gasperini’s famously free-wheeling Atalanta side are in pole position to complete a deal that would set them back a bargain £5 million.
Rangers are interested too. And it speaks volumes about the transformative impact Steven Gerrard has made on the south of the Clyde that Rangers are now being talked about as genuine competitors for Veerman’s sought-after signature (Voetbal International).
Yes, Atalanta can offer Veerman the prospect of Champions League football (they are second in Serie A after all, ahead of Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan). Rangers, however, can boast the allure of Ibrox, the prospect of silverware and the small matter of learning your trade under one of the greatest central midfielders of his generation.
Rangers, too, could be taking a seat at Europe’s top table in 2021/22 as well.
There is certainly a touch of the Gerrards about Veerman too; a talismanic presence in the centre of the park, setting the tone for Heerenveen with his hassling, harrying and superb technical ability. Veerman not only creates chances but scores them too; nine goals and ten assists in 32 matches this season.
“Yes, I think he can,” Heerenveen coach Johnny Jansen told VI when asked if the 22-year-old could play for Dutch giants Ajax or PSV, hailing his ‘tremendous quality’.
“He can score a goal and has an eye for the through ball.”
If you stand still in football, you might as well be going backwards. The always-demanding Gerrard will not be resting on his laurels for a second as he looks to ensure Rangers’ first title in a decade is the dawn of a new era rather than merely a one-off.
Beating one of Italy’s biggest clubs to one of Holland’s best players would be one hell of a way to show that Rangers mean business.
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