Departing Leicester City defender De Graaf joins Feyenoord | OneFootball

Departing Leicester City defender Esmee de Graaf has joined Pure Energie Eredivisie Vrouwen club Feyenoord according to reports on the Dutch club’s official website.

The 24-year-old full-back is one of five players to have left Barclays FA Women’s Super League club Leicester City this summer. The player’s return to her native Netherlands had already been confirmed therefore the move to Feyenoord comes as no surprise.

De Graaf spent four years in England with both West Ham United and Leicester City. She made 21 appearances for the latter club in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League this season, helping The Foxes to retain their top flight status for a second year.

After securing her move to Feyenoord, De Graaf said “After playing in England for four years, I really wanted to return to the Netherlands. My whole family are Feyenoord supporters and I regularly sang Feyenoord songs as a little girl. This was an opportunity that I wanted to grab with both hands.”

De Graaf’s return to The Netherlands comes four years after leaving PEC Zwolle. She joins a Feyenoord side which finished the 2021/2022 season in fifth position in the Pure Energie Eredivisie Vrouwen table. ‘The Pride of the South’ collected 35 points from their 24 league games.