Niek Schiks on the way to becoming PSV’s first-choice goalkeeper: “Nothing less than underestimating Kovar”

PSV has further underlined its confidence in goalkeeper Niek Schiks by breaking open his expiring contract, as reported by the Eindhovens Dagblad. The keeper, who made his debut last season in PSV’s first team, is on the verge of extending his contract by a year. A loan spell at RKC Waalwijk then appears to be the next step in his development.

Schiks is currently tied down until the summer of 2027, but PSV wants to extend that agreement until mid-2028. In doing so, the club’s management and technical staff express their appreciation for the development the goalkeeper has gone through in recent years. In his appearances for the first team, he made a solid impression, which contributed to the decision to continue with him longer.

After the contract extension, Schiks above all needs to start making many match minutes. A loan to RKC seems like the ideal solution for that. An agreement on the main points has already been reached between the two clubs. Once the final formalities have been completed, the move can be made definitive.

At RKC, Schiks is expected to immediately get the chance to become the first-choice goalkeeper. That prospect of a permanent spot ultimately made the difference. PSV also looked into possibilities in the Eredivisie and in foreign competitions, including Belgium, but none of those options offered the same combination of sporting opportunities and certainty of playing time.

The route Schiks is now following brings to mind that of Jeroen Zoet. The former PSV goalkeeper was also loaned out to RKC at an early stage to gain experience at the professional level. That loan proved to be an important step in his development at the time. After his return, Zoet grew into PSV’s first-choice goalkeeper and won multiple national titles with the club.

Although the situation is not fully comparable—RKC no longer plays at the top level these days—the loan from Schiks does offer the opportunity to prove themselves on a weekly basis. Both PSV and the goalkeeper hope that this will ultimately lead to a definitive breakthrough in Eindhoven.

The goalkeeper position at PSV remains interesting as well. With players like Matej Kovár, Nick Olij, and various talents from the youth academy, competition is fierce. For young goalkeepers, it is therefore often difficult to consistently get playing time at the Philips Stadium. A loan spell is therefore seen as a logical step in the development of keepers who, in the long term, want to play a meaningful role in the first team.

Schiks has already tasted the highest level and, despite his young age, has experience within PSV’s squad. By spending a season acting as the starting goalkeeper, he now has the opportunity to show that he is ready for the next step in his career.

For PSV, the structure fits within the broader policy to allow talented players to gain experience elsewhere in a different place. If Schiks develops positively with RKC, he can, in the future, make himself clearly stand out in the spotlight for Bosz. Many PSV fans like the idea, with Schiks as the first-choice goalkeeper under the bar at the Philips Stadium. 'Schiks is nothing less than that overrated Kovar,' a PSV fan posts on X.