Exclusive: Rotherham United set to seal permanent transfer for ex-Ajax player | OneFootball

Rotherham United are closing in on the signing of ex-Ajax defender Ar'jany Martha from Beerschot, Football League World understands

Rotherham United have made a shock move to sign former Ajax defender Ar'jany Martha in a permanent deal, sources have exclusively revealed to Football League World.

Martha, who is currently contracted to Belgian outfit Beerschot, is poised to arrive at the New York Stadium on a permanent basis to become Rotherham's ninth signing of the summer transfer window.

The Millers have been busy in a bid to improve upon last season's disappointing 13th-placed finish in their first season back in League One.

At present, boss Matt Hamshaw has brought eight fresh faces to the club in Lenny Agbaire, Josh Benson, Ted Cann, Daniel Gore, Denzel Hall, Kian Spence and ex-Brentford midfielder Dru Yearwood, while FLW first revealed one of Rotherham's more recent signings - Marvin Kaleta from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Rotherham will commence their 2025/26 League One campaign at home to Darren Moore's freshly-promoted Port Vale on Saturday afternoon.

Rotherham United set to sign ex-Ajax defender Ar'jany Martha from Beerschot

Ahead of this weekend's curtain-raiser, FLW has been informed that Rotherham are closing in on yet another acquisition by agreeing a permanent deal for Martha.

It remains unclear exactly how much Rotherham will be paying to acquire Martha's services, but FLW understands that a move is close after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.

The versatile 21-year-old was part of the Beerschot side which suffered relegation from the Belgian top-flight last season, where he made 19 appearances after joining from Ajax just last summer.

Martha, a positionally flexible wide player who can operate anywhere down the left-hand side, came through the world-renowned youth system in the Dutch capital and tallied up 110 appearances for Ajax's second-string side - Jong Ajax of the Eerste Divisie - while he also featured on 12 occasions for the first-team, all of which came in the 2023/24 season.

Formerly a youth international with the Netherlands up to U17 level, the left-sided operator has since earned five senior caps and counting for Curaçao, for whom he first debuted last year.

Ex-Ajax man Arjany Martha will be an interesting signing for Rotherham United

It's hard not to be impressed by Martha's pedigree, which includes a schooling at one of world football's most esteemed talent production lines and double figures for appearances in Ajax's first team - and two in the UEFA Europa League for good measure.

Quite whether that can translate to the rigors of League One remains to be seen, of course, but Martha should have the requisite attributes and, naturally, for an Ajax academy graduate, technical quality, to make a difference for Rotherham.

It seems likely that Martha will operate at wing-back in Hamshaw's 3-5-2 system, which should suit his dynamic profile down to the ground.

There will, of course, be a fair degree of expectation on the youngster to hit the ground running and prove himself to be an astute acquisition for both the immediate and long-term future and it may well be a similar situation to that of the aforementioned Hall, who joined only last week from SC Heerenveen and has a similar footballing background, having initially been developed in Feyenoord's academy before featuring in Dutch football's top-flight.