NEC Nijmegen Eredivisie 2025/2026 Preview | OneFootball

Overview:

Last season, NEC Nijmegen finished eighth in the Eredivisie table and qualified for the UEFA Conference League play-offs. There, they agonisingly lost out to FC Twente in the semi-finals and added this fleeting participation to their early exit in the KNVB Cup’s second round.

In 2025/26, all at the Goffertstadion will be hoping for a little more as their side get to grips with a major departure, and some pretty savvy acquisitions under new boss Dick Schreuder.

Transfers in: Tjaronn Chery (Antwerp), Virgil Misidjan (Ferencvaros), Jasper Cillessen (UD Las Palmas), Youssef El Kachati (Telstar), Gonzalo Crettaz (Castellon), Jetro Willems (Castellon), Yousri Sbai (NEC U21).

Transfers out: Robin Roefs (Sunderland), Thomas Reinders (VVV-Venlo), Kas de Wit (TOP Oss), Mees Hoedemakers (Viborg FF), Stijn van Gassel (Excelsior), Lasse Schöne (Retired), D’Leanu Arts (Without Club), Omar Jamil (Without Club).

Key player: Vito van Crooij

While the experience of Tjaronn Chery and Jasper Cillessen, and the excitement of Sontje Hansen and Youssef El Kachati were really worth considering for this section, Vito van Crooij ultimately won the draw. Considering his impact last term, it was somewhat of a coup that the 29-year-old signed for free after a short stint in Saudi Arabia with Al Wehda.

In 2024/25, the midfielder scored nine goals and assisted six in 25 matches. With mercurial former Telstar forward El Kachati in front of him, and the pace of Hansen and Virgil Misidjan out wide, the Venlo native has all the tools to get close to those numbers again.

Young player to watch: Sami Ouaissa

Similarly to Van Crooij, Sami Ouaissa displayed some eye-catching form last season. The 20-year-old has gradually developed into an Eredivisie-ready talent after coming from second-tier Roda JC and finding game time after a subsequent loan back. With seven goals and two assists in his first full top-flight campaign, Ouaissa has the opportunity to play a big part in a mobile side that could surprise a few this term and get back into the European places. If such a thing happened, it’d be NEC’s first involvement in European competition since the 2008/09 UEFA Cup (Europa League).

Transfer window needs:

To their credit, NEC looked to have recruited relatively well this summer. The signings of first, Gonzalo Crettaz, and then the returning Jasper Cillessen, look to have dealt with Robin Roefs’ departure well enough. Plus, Schreuder has used his links to his former club Castellon well – signing Crettaz and Jetro Willems.

There will be a lot of attention on El Kachati after his stellar promotion campaign with Telstar, but if he doesn’t hit the ground running, both Koki Ogawa and Bryan Linssen are fine alternative options. With a squad of high aspirations, their main concerns may be losing talent midway through the season, so back-up targets that fit the blueprint will have to be in place if the worst comes to the worst in January.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield