Peter Bosz responds to reports about Luuk de Jong and a return to PSV
1 min readThere is plenty of talk, but actually nothing is going on. Peter Bosz made that clear on Friday afternoon, after Dutch media also massively surfaced with reports about a possible return of Luuk de Jong to the Netherlands.
Of course, the name of PSV comes up, but FC Twente is also mentioned alongside De Graafschap. Where does the news about Luuk de Jong suddenly come from? After it was already speculated in Portuguese media on Thursday about Luuk de Jong's future, it turns out that report was far too premature, because his departure from Porto is not yet certain.
Peter Bosz told Friday afternoon at the preview press conference about Sunday’s match against Go Ahead Eagles that he has not spoken yet with his former captain either. So nothing at all is going on, Bosz made clear.
"No, we haven’t spoken to each other. It doesn’t play a role at all", Bosz said, to which Nick Tol, the press officer of PSV, immediately responds: "The whole story is bullshit at the moment". Speculation in Portuguese media concerned De Jong’s family problems, which would mean he would want to return to the Netherlands as a player.
In Portugal, speculation is rife every day about De Jong's sporting future. Although Porto has the option to extend De Jong's contract by one year, a cruciate ligament injury has thrown all plans into disarray.
Also due to that injury, the tally for the number of matches stalled for De Jong at FC Porto just after seven duels. The supporters of PSV, who had voiced cautious optimism about a possible free transfer return of De Jong to the Philips Stadium, for now appear to be heading home with a rude awakening. The rumors from Portugal seem to have been completely made up. For now, then, there is no question of a return to the old nest.
That also aligns with what De Jong said earlier. Around his farewell, he already said that a return to PSV as a player did not fit into his future plans. The striker repeated those words again when his tile was unveiled on the Walk Of Fame and he became the namesake of the press room in the Philips Stadium.
Comments6
What stood out for me was the mention of the winger running in behind. That has been the difference-maker lately, and I hope they keep feeding it instead of slowing everything down.
I'm not fully convinced by the setup they described. When the fullback pushes high, the midfield has to cover perfectly, otherwise it gets messy fast.
The article's right about the pressing triggers. You can tell when they step with conviction, the opponent starts rushing passes and the chances come.
I'm not fully convinced by the midfield balance yet. When they lose the second ball, it feels like the defense is left sprinting back too often.
Really liked how PSV look brave in buildup, especially when they pull the fullback high. If the timing stays sharp, that front-foot football will win games even against compact blocks.
Really liked the bit about PSV being brave in build-up. If they keep trusting those half-space passes, teams will struggle to press them.