Kilmarnock FC will be the next station for Kevin van Veen. The 32-year-old striker from FC Groningen is rented by the Scots until the end of the season.
Kevin van Veen was the last exciting case of the winter transfer period for FC Groningen. What was the blossoming northern football pride to do with last summer’s top purchase, who promised to score thirty goals when he took office, but ultimately ended up on the bench due to numerous circumstances after only hitting the target five times?
Director Wouter Gudde preferred to sell again, but that option did not present itself. It soon became clear that Van Veen, after his 29 goals last season, was still doing well in the Scottish Premier League. Several clubs were keen to hire the top scorer.
Kilmarnock the lucky one
The current number four of the highest Scottish level Kilmarnock ultimately became the lucky one. The club will take over most of the salary from FC Groningen and Van Veen will be close to his wife and newborn daughter Ivy Rose who live in Scotland for the time being. No purchase option was agreed between FC Groningen and the Scots.
It seems to be the best solution for all parties. This was also said by coach Dick Lukkien during the Transfer Deadline Show that FC Groningen organized on Thursday evening. “You should never underestimate what it does when you have a pregnant woman who has also gone through a very complicated delivery period,” the Veendammer coach outlined the obstacles that Van Veen has encountered at FC Groningen in recent months.
Underestimation
“In addition, Kevin also had difficulty getting used to our way of playing,” Lukkien continues. “He also underestimated that,” he told me. If you are passed over with the disappointment that this entails and you also have a lot of other things on your mind from your private life, it is good to look for and find a solution that is good for both. He will now play football near his mother and daughter and we can see from a distance how fit he is and will become and how he will manifest himself there.”
Football and training manager Art Langeler confirms Lukkien’s lecture. “Kevin has gone through a difficult private period with us. Partly because of this, he has not been very fit in the last few months. These were reasons to sit down together in this transfer period. Van Veen is a major player with a decent track record. It is best for both parties that he first tries his luck elsewhere. At least until the summer. We will look further from there.”
No replacement
FC Groningen has decided not to bring in a replacement. Langeler says that FC Groningen has looked at the possibilities. “The basic principles were that someone had to be an immediate reinforcement and that, if we were promoted to the Premier League in the summer, he should also be able to handle that level.” FC Groningen turned to Koen Kostons from MVV and Zakaria Eddahchouri from Telstar, but was blunt with those two. The club has sufficient confidence in the current selection to achieve this season’s objectives.