Rotterdam calls for Twente's El Ahmadi
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Article summary
Feyenoord have signed Moroccan Under-21 midfielder Karim El Ahmadi from Eredivisie rivals FC Twente, with the player ready to move to Rotterdam in the summer.
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Twente apprentice
Born in Enschede, El Ahmadi has agreed a five-year contract with Feyenoord after an undisclosed fee was paid to his current club. A product of Twente's youth system, he made his first-team debut against FC Utrecht on 21 March 2004 and has become a regular since, with his performances in the current season drawing admiring glances from a host of clubs.
Close watch
"[Feyenoord] have been watching me closely since last summer and that says a lot about the confidence they have in me," said El Ahmadi. "That was very important for me, so I'm really happy that everything's been sorted out now. Joining Feyenoord is the next step up for me, despite their disappointments in recent years. Feyenoord continue to be a fantastic club."
Dutch play-offs
In a sense it is a step down for the player. Twente are fourth in the Eredivisie while Feyenoord are sixth with one more round of games to go before the end-of-season play-offs. The teams finishing second to fifth in the table will play off for UEFA Champions League qualifying and UEFA Cup places, while the best the teams between sixth and ninth can hope for is a UEFA Cup place.