“Enthusiast and crowd favorite”
© Imago
This article was first published on August 11th at 3:35 p.m. and was updated after the change.
Lewis Holtby had justified his farewell to Holstein Kiel by making “something new”. This new adventure is in the Netherlands. Nac Breda confirmed the change of the 34-year-old, who received a two-year contract.
The central midfielder joins the black and yellow free of charge after his working paper in Kiel leaked. With a market value of 500,000 euros, he was previously one of the most valuable contractless German footballers. Nac was reportedly looking for a professional with plenty of experience and leadership qualities that Holtby undoubtedly brings with him. The veteran looks back on 225 missions in the Bundesliga, 137 in the 2nd Bundesliga, 38 in the Premier League and 21 in the Europa League. In addition to the storks, his employers also included the HSV, Schalke 04, Tottenham Hotspur or the 1st FSV Mainz 05.
For Holtby, the Netherlands are the third country in its professional career and Nac Breda the tenth club. On Sunday, the club will be his next duel in the eredivisia against Fortuna Sittard, which should come too early for Holtby because he missed the complete preparation. In the meantime, the Erkelenzer native also considered a move to Dubai, but now he stays in Europe.
“I felt a lot of trust in the conversations that I had with those responsible for the club and I am very happy to start here. Let’s go,” said Holtby. The technical director Peter Maas said: “With Lewis we have a lot of experience for our team. In the conversations we immediately felt a connection, also because he is a real enthusiast and crowd favorite.”