‘If he is relegated, clubs will be on his doorstep’

Kenneth Perez is deeply impressed by Brian De Keersmaecker, as he makes clear in the program This was the Weekend by ESPN. The analyst was present at the Eredivisie match between FC Twente and Heracles Almelo (1-0) and he saw how the Almelo midfielder caused the rival the most trouble.

Perez points to, among other things, a deep pass in the 24th minute of play, when he served Navajo Bakdraad. Perez also saw moments from De Keersmaecker that he liked later in the first half and later in the second half.

“He was very safe on the ball. In the final phase he was really the one who caused problems at FC Twente. Moreover, he almost had an assist on Mario Engels.”

“He is right-footed, and it is really wonderful how he plays. I think another club will just show up if Heracles does not stay in the Eredivisie. He is a very nice footballer,” Perez continues.

“De Keersmaecker does have a big problem: he scores too little. But he is very fit. He plays many games in a season. He is a number 6 or number 8, so he should not be judged too much for goals.”

“His highest number is three goals in the Kitchen Champion Division. I think you should make at least ten in the Kitchen Champion Division as a good midfielder. An AZ player? That could just be possible,” the analyst concludes.

De Keersmaecker joined Heracles in 2023 via K. Beerschot VA and FC Eindhoven. In Almelo, the 23-year-old midfielder still has a contract that binds him to the club until mid-2027.