Jerdy Schouten made his debut for PSV on Saturday evening, two days after his presentation. The midfielder had to fill in as a central defender during the break of the away match against Vitesse and thus help ensure a comeback for his team. The home team then led 1-0. PSV recovered and so Schouten could speak of a successful entrance. Afterwards, he reflected on his choice for the Eindhoven club: “I want to play for the prizes.”
Jerdy Schouten had a good feeling when he recently walked through Eindhoven. Brabant could well be a province that fits well with the brand new PSV acquisition. “I really wanted to go to PSV. The club gave me a good feeling, but also when I went to look in the city. It’s very friendly and that’s nice.”
“I am a quiet boy myself and I had the idea that they were also quiet here in Brabant,” he continued his story. “I could walk quietly through the city without anyone coming up to me for a shirt or an autograph. The people of Brabant are not overly enthusiastic.”
“It’s the Champions League or nothing.”
There were of course also plenty of reasons to choose PSV from a sporting point of view. “I want to play for the prizes. European football also appeals to me. I didn’t have that with Bologna.”
Still, people were surprised that he went from Serie A to the Eredivisie. “But it is the Champions League or nothing”, the midfielder was already a bit ahead of things.
“When I woke up this morning I didn’t think I would fill in as central defender tonight.”
He had a special debut in the field. The midfielder had to play as a central defender. “I think I’ve done that twice in my entire life,” said the brand new acquisition with a laugh. “When I woke up this morning I didn’t think I would come on as a central defender tonight. A debut is always a bit exciting, but this made it even more exciting.”
Still, it went very nicely and that after two days of training. His trainer Peter Bosz jokingly said that he may not even know all the names of his fellow players. Schouten knows the names, but it is clear that it is still unfamiliar. “I don’t know my teammates very well yet. But that only gets better. In the end we won 3-1 so it was a good move to put me in the back.”
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