Kroos comparisons and fabulous statistics: Veerman is meant to solve a major Borussia Dortmund problem | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 18 Aug 2026 | Lesezeit: 6 Minuten Kroos comparisons and fabulous statistics: Veerman is meant to solve a major Borussia Dortmund problem | Goal.com

Borussia Dortmund swerved the obvious little dig. In the official announcement of Joey Veerman's transfer, who arrives from PSV Eindhoven for 22 million euros thanks to a release clause and signed until 2031, BVB did not mention the new central midfielder's character anywhere.

Probably the right call. That word had already caused enough noise around the 27-year-old in recent months. The debate, which raged in the Netherlands, began with a press conference at the end of last March.

"Joey's character is ... different," said Ronald Koeman, who is no longer the national team coach, about Veerman. Koeman was already certain back then: he would not nominate Veerman for the World Cup. "I spoke to Joey and told him that for the position of left-sided number six he is neither my first nor my second choice," he said. "If everyone is fit, he is not an option for the World Cup squad. In his position, I am choosing different types of player."

Nor was it the first time Koeman had done that. The two have history. Koeman hauled Veerman off after just 35 minutes of the third group game at Euro 2024 against Austria, which the Netherlands lost 3-2, with the score at 1-0. Veerman then featured again in the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final, but after that Koeman never called him up again.

"That was an extreme situation," Koeman said five months ago about his decision against Austria. "I can imagine that it is very painful for a player to be substituted after 35 minutes. It is not that I think: I don't want a character like that. Character plays a role in it, but first and foremost it is a sporting decision," the coach stressed.

Eventually, Veerman lost patience at the end of last season. He had just won the title with PSV for the third year in a row. Veerman produced his best of four years in Eindhoven. He scored eight goals and set up 14 more, nobody in the Eredivisie bettered that. His 16 assists in 2023/24 also remained unmatched. He also played the most passes into the final third in the league, the most completed passes and the most passes that led to a goalscoring chance.

"I think I was the only one in the Netherlands who actually expected it," Veerman said on ESPN about his omission from the World Cup squad. "When press conferences like that keep being held and they say my character is not right - at some point you've simply had enough of it. It is his decision who he calls up, but he should not claim that my character is the problem. These press conferences are starting to annoy me a bit. He doesn't need to call me any more."

Then Veerman supplied the final twist in the dispute. One day before the Netherlands' first World Cup game against Japan, a full-page advertisement appeared in the newspaper De Telegraaf. In it, Veerman promoted the jeans and fashion brand G-STAR, standing by the water with an orange ball at his feet. The slogan read: "Denim with real character."

Later, Veerman said he had been told the advert would only be published three days later. Even so, he is not someone who hides his opinion. A little over a month ago, he said about his transfer ambitions: "At the moment not much is happening. There is actually hardly any interest right now. It can be annoying to keep being asked why I have never moved. At some point it gets on your nerves. My wish is to complete a great transfer, but as things stand that will not happen."

As a condition, Veerman named a club that play in Europe and stressed: "Italy and Spain would suit me well, but unfortunately the clubs there are showing no interest in me." That had also been the case recently. Last summer, though, Brentford FC wanted to bring him to England but missed the deadline on his contractually anchored release clause, and Eindhoven said no. In winter, Veerman then negotiated with Fenerbahce for more than two weeks, but was not convinced about a departure.

With BVB, things were different. Veerman called it a "great club" and a "fantastic opportunity" that he had been waiting for "for years", even before putting pen to paper on the new contract. But what sort of player are the Westphalians getting in a man who scored 31 goals and assisted 67 in 198 competitive games for Eindhoven?

For one, he has already been compared with Toni Kroos in the neighbouring country. That was before Euro 2024. "I think Joey has qualities that nobody else in the Netherlands has," Arnold Mühren, European champion of 1988, said at the time to Voetbal International. "What can Kroos do that Veerman cannot? Veerman plays the same passes as Kroos. The only thing Kroos has more of is experience."

Veerman's profile addresses a weakness in Dortmund's squad, though not 100 per cent. Ideally, BVB needed a genuine number six alongside Felix Nmecha, one strong in the tackle and on the ball, a strategically smart quarterback-type player. Veerman is not that. He is more of a number eight than a number six.

Still, the new arrival comes in with a clear ambition to become a regular starter straight away. Marcel Sabitzer in particular, who has only one year left on his contract and could still possibly be sold, and Jobe Bellingham will face stronger competition. Veerman can immediately give Borussia's still weak build-up play significantly more thrust.

Above all, Veerman brings outstanding security on the ball and in his passing, which allows him to drive the game on. He sees the game well and can also play his way out of pressure in central areas. That is especially good news for Dortmund, because it allows the attacking players further forward to offer themselves in the spaces where they are strongest.

There is a certain nonchalance to the way Veerman plays. When he is in form, he exudes self-confidence, calm, technical ease and the courage to attempt more difficult passes as well. In recent years, he has also been one of the Eredivisie's most creative players. In the title-winning 2023/24 season, he created 130 chances, 59 more than the runner-up. The previous year it was 93 chances, including 25 big chances.

At his best, Veerman has space ahead of him and several options around him to shape the game. His strength lies precisely in using his creativity from a deeper position. He does not need to keep appearing around the penalty area to be dangerous. That makes him a rather special midfielder: a creative number eight who can build and organise the game from deep.

Yet Veerman is not a particularly dynamic professional. He is not someone who constantly covers big spaces, presses opponents aggressively or closes gaps with his speed. Nor is he an exceptionally good ball-winner, and he will probably never become the most explosive or physically dominant midfielder.

Even so, the father of two, who recently celebrated his engagement, comes very close to the preferred solution for Dortmund's decision-makers. "When, like us, you play with a back three, a game can also become relatively laborious if you then place a holding six in front of it," sporting director Ole Book had already outlined before the deal for the Dutchman was completed.

Maybe that is exactly where Veerman's opportunity lies. In the Netherlands, the talk recently centred on what he supposedly lacks. In Dortmund, the focus will now be far more on what he brings.

And that is plenty: vision, passing quality, creativity and the ability to dictate a game from deep. If BVB use those strengths properly, Veerman could take on a midfield role that has scarcely been filled of late.

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