Dean Huijsen is currently the most sought-after defensive talent in global football, but his swift ascent to prominence has more layers than one might initially perceive. He also recently broke his silence amid transfer links.
Bournemouth’s 20-year-old starlet comes with a £50 million ($66.56M) release clause that kicks in this summer, and it seems Chelsea, Liverpool – who has an advantage – and Arsenal are all poised to activate it. Donny, Dean’s father and agent, is expected to be a key figure in the upcoming transfer negotiations.
This isn’t surprising given the significant influence he’s had on his son’s burgeoning career so far. In the 1990s, Donny was seen as a promising young player at Ajax. However, his emergence coincided with that of the legendary Patrick Kluivert, which unfortunately overshadowed his own potential.
Interestingly, their sons now play together at Bournemouth. Both Dean and Justin have made remarkable contributions to another chapter of Cherries history, as Andoni Iraola’s team recently surpassed the club’s record Premier League points total for the second consecutive season, reports the Mirror.
Despite the hype surrounding him, Donny’s career didn’t quite take off, with stints at Go Ahead Eagles, Haarlem, and AZ Alkmaar. Eight years after retiring in 1998, he was arrested on suspicion of cocaine smuggling but was subsequently cleared of the charges.
After moving to Spain’s Costa del Sol, it wasn’t long before Dean’s footballing prowess was recognized, leading to his signing with Malaga in 2015. The Spanish international has had to make some tough calls in his career, having received offers from Real Madrid, Sevilla and Juventus in 2021.
However, the mature yet young player chose to further his career in Italy, where he aimed to refine his defensive skills. He did just that, impressing in Juve’s youth ranks until a call from Tiago Pinto, now Bournemouth’s president of football operations, enticed him to Roma.
(Image: Harry Murphy – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, he flourished during his loan spell. Before he even set foot on the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico, Mourinho praised his new recruit as “one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level.”
Despite representing Holland at U17, U18 and U19 level, Huijsen pledged his international allegiance to Spain. Speaking with a strong Andalusian accent, he explained: “My family is Dutch, at home we speak Dutch but I feel Spanish, Spain is my home.”
After shining for Spain’s U21s, he earned a senior call-up last month and made his debut against none other than Oranje in Rotterdam. Responding to jeers from Dutch supporters, he later said: “It’s part of football, it also means they secretly want me in their team.”
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Cherries bigwig Pinto pulled off a masterstroke last summer when he lured hot prospect Huijsen from Juventus, with the young Dutch-born defender swiftly making his mark in the Premier League despite not being a first-team regular early in the season.
Huijsen’s soaring headers clinched victories over Tottenham and Manchester United in a dazzling December, yet it’s his silky skills on the ball and composed defending that’s had top clubs queuing up. Nevertheless, the youngster’s number one fans are his family, frequent visitors to Dorset who’ve watched him rise to success.
In Huijsen’s home hangs a poignant token of his journey — a magnetic tactics board once shared with his dad. Juanito, once a guiding light at Malaga’s youth academy, reflected on Huijsen’s path: “All those choices in his career show how deliberate he is. He went to Italy to learn and improve before picking Bournemouth when he could have signed for bigger clubs.”
