Ex-Tottenham Steven Bergwijn’s ‘ambition’ questioned with ‘book closed’ after Saudi move

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Steven Bergwijn has rejuvenated his once-promising career since leaving Tottenham, with an impressive spell at Ajax.

Bergwijn left Tottenham for Ajax, the scene of Spurs’ most famous European win, after scoring just seven league goals for the club, over a two-and-a-half-year spell.

Signed by Jose Mourinho, the Dutchman was unable to impress either Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte as he struggled to retain a starting position at the club.

The winger was out the door a whole summer before Ange Postecoglou took charge of Tottenham, who managed to recuperate what they paid for him originally from PSV when selling to Ajax in 2022.

Bergwijn has enjoyed two solid seasons in Amsterdam, notching over 10 goals in both of his Eredivisie campaigns.

These impressive performances alerted Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, who have swooped in to buy the winger before the Saudi Pro League transfer window shut on Monday evening.

Whilst Bergwijn prepares for a new chapter of his life, along with a substantial pay rise, he may have inadvertently damaged another key aspect of his football career.

Ronald Koeman says ‘book is closed’ on Saudi-bound Steven Bergwijn

It seems that Bergwijn has effectively destroyed his international career, with Dutch boss Ronald Koeman unwilling to accept the winger’s transfer decision.

Speaking to the press ahead of the team’s upcoming Nations League fixtures, Koeman said: “The book is basically closed to him [Bergwijn]. He knows what I think about this.

“When you are 26, your main ambition should be sporting, not financial. These are choices that players make.”

He continued: “He could have stayed at Ajax, that’s not bad, is it? You have to respect that choice, but personally I wouldn’t [have moved].”

Koeman’s unwavering opinion on the matter is evident. For Bergwijn, if he wants to add to his 35 caps for his national team, he must make his Saudi Arabian adventure a short one.

How Steven Bergwijn can repair Ronald Koeman relationship

For Bergwijn, not all hope is lost. If he ever wants to return to the Dutch national team, he must hope that Koeman adopts a similar feeling towards him as he did with Georginio Wijnaldum.

The former Liverpool star also moved to Saudi Arabia, signing for Al-Ettifaq, but remained in the national team set up as recently as the 2024 European Championships.

In the same press conference, Koeman said: “Wijnaldum once went that way because he had a problem at Paris Saint-Germain. He could only go to that country to play football until January.”

The January he refers to was this year, and with the Euro’s taking place in the summer, Wijnaldum’s Saudi status clearly didn’t rule him out of the reckoning for the squad.

Bergwijn therefore must keep his head down and not give up hope of a reunion with Koeman and the national team. It would be more likely if he were to leave Saudi Arabia, but Koeman’s treatment of Wijnaldum shows that the manager can waver on his seemingly staunch views on the matter.