The season is over for FC Den Bosch. On Saturday they lost 3-0 to Almere City in the play-offs, meaning FC Den Bosch can no longer promote. The question is therefore which players will stay and leave the club. Thijs van Leeuwen has already announced that he will transfer to RKC, but top scorer Kévin Monzialo also thinks he has played his last match for the people of Den Bosch. Both are very grateful to the club.
“We wanted to win and had a lot of energy, but it was not enough. We started quite well, but after the goal the feeling went away,” Monzialo says after the 3-0 loss. “I don’t want to start about the referee either. I still have a lot of videos on my phone of fouls that were not given, but the players here have taught me to remain calm.”
The 25-year-old French striker with Congolese roots scored 18 goals and 14 assists in 39 games this season. There was already plenty of interest in the attacker in the winter, but with these figures he now seems completely untenable for the people of Den Bosch. “In the winter everyone thought I was going to leave and I’m still here. I think this was my last match. We’ll find out soon enough.”
Monzialo is not only aiming for the Eredivisie. “I am looking for the right project, which means: a stable team, with a good coach and a club that really wants me. You also saw that at Den Bosch. They did everything for me and I repaid them on the field. It could be Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, but also the Eredivisie.”
From Leeuwen to RKC
It is already clear for Thijs van Leeuwen where he will play next season. He transfers to RKC Waalwijk on a free transfer. “When my option was not taken up, they were the first to call. And that is nice to gain that trust. There were also other options from the Eredivisie and abroad.”
FC Den Bosch itself chose not to extend Van Leeuwen’s contract for a year. “I think I was also ready for a new step, but if my option had been exercised, I would have fully committed myself to FC Den Bosch.”
Unlike Den Bosch, his new employer still has a chance of promotion to the Eredivisie. They will play against Willem II in the quarter-finals of the play-offs. “Until a few hours before the match I was completely occupied with FC Den Bosch, now there is another team I can cheer for.”
Satisfying
Both are especially grateful to the Den Bosch club. “FC Den Bosch gave me love. Apart from my youth teams, no club gave me so much love. That’s why things went so well here. When I came here, I quickly tore my meniscus. At that time they were there for me to ensure that I felt as good as possible,” says Monzialo.
A similar story also applies to Van Leeuwen: “FC Den Bosch has given me a new chance. I had descended quite a bit in my career, but from TOP Oss to FC Den Bosch was already a nice step and now to RKC is also a step up in my opinion.”
