© EuroFootball.com
Two major Dutch clubs have decided to strengthen their squad with players from rivals in the "Eredivisie" league - Amsterdam announced the acquisition of Heerenveen forward Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and Rotterdam managed to outbid their direct competitor Alkmaar for Dutch national team defender Ron Vlaar.
Ajax, who made it to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League but are struggling in the national league and currently in fourth place, signed a 4.5-year contract with the league's top scorer K.J. Huntelaar. Heerenveen will receive 9 million euros for the player who has scored 16 goals in 14 league matches this season.
The 22-year-old K.J. Huntelaar started his career at De Graafschap, then moved to PSV Eindhoven in 2000. However, he failed to establish himself at this club, so in the 2003/04 season he was loaned to the second division team Apeldoorn, where he scored 26 goals. In 2004, he joined Heerenveen and in his first season he scored 17 goals, helping the team to finish fifth in the league and secure a place in the UEFA Cup.
Despite playing in the UEFA Cup for Heerenveen, Huntelaar will now be able to help Ajax in the Champions League as teams can register one player who has participated in UEFA competitions, as long as it is not the same tournament.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord, who are not participating in European competitions this season, won the battle for AZ, with whom they share second place in the Dutch league, by signing a 3.5-year contract with defender R. Vlaar. It is believed that Tottenham also showed interest in the 20-year-old player who has already represented the Dutch national team twice, but he chose Feyenoord without hesitation. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
