Both upcoming national champions PSV and Ajax are looking for a NEC defender, reports Ajax club watcher Mike Verweij from The Telegraph. Of the two, Ajax, where Sandler attended the youth academy but did not break through into the first team, is currently said to be ‘the most concrete’.
Sandler left the Amsterdam team in the summer of 2016 to join PEC Zwolle. In Overijssel he then earned a nice transfer to Manchester City, although a breakthrough in Pep Guardiola’s main squad would never happen, partly due to injuries. After loans to Anderlecht and Troyes, the now 27-year-old defender moved to Feyenoord on a free transfer in the winter of 2022. After he barely featured in Rotterdam in half a season, NEC signed him in the summer, also for free. On behalf of the losing cup finalist, Sandler made an excellent impression this season.
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This has led to interest from both Ajax and PSV, Verweij and his Telegraaf colleague Jeroen Kapteijns wrote on Sunday. Earlier in the morning, PSV director Marcel Brands mentioned the NEC player in the ESPN program Good morning Eredivisie indeed ‘an interesting player’, although he did not confirm that an offer had already been made. According to Verweij and Kapteijns, PSV is ‘on the fence’ and the people of Eindhoven are ‘closely monitoring the situation’.
Ajax, on the other hand, is ‘the most concrete’, the duo knows: “Ajax is looking for a constructively strong defender and Sandler is at the top of the list.” The fact that he is already familiar with the specific demands placed on a central defender in the Johan Cruijff ArenA speaks to his advantage: “The Amsterdammer knows the playing style very well, because from 2005 to 2016 the former player from AFC is part of Ajax’s youth academy.” Sandler still has a contract in Nijmegen until mid-2025, which means that both clubs will have to sit down with NEC to negotiate a transfer fee.
Sandler once again had a starting place in the home game against AZ on Sunday afternoon, but the game ended prematurely. After more than twenty minutes of play, with a 0-1 deficit, the defender clutched his hamstring and was relieved by Mathias Ross. Follow the match between NEC and AZ LIVE here.
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