Middlesbrough beat out major European clubs like Juventus and Dortmund to sign Rav van den Berg.
According to Italian media reports, Middlesbrough sought to replicate their Rav van den Berg trick this summer.
Boro were listed in a report as one of the clubs who attempted to sign Netherlands under-19 international centre-back Shane van Aarle from Dutch second-tier side FC Eindhoven this summer. Atalanta, AC Milan, Feyenoord, Utrecht, and Cologne were all mentioned in the article, but Juventus eventually won the race for the defender.
The claims closely resemble the Boro model and are reminiscent of when Boro recruited young defender Van den Berg two years ago. Boro, who had previously joined Pec Zwolle in the same tier, struck at the right time to sign Van den Berg ahead of a slew of major European clubs, including Juventus.
The temptation of playing regular senior games and developing under the management of Michael Carrick and Jonathan Woodgate were the main reasons Van den Berg chose to join Boro. He had a successful debut season at the Riverside, winning the club’s Player of the Year accolade.
Though injury restricted his contribution last season, he still had moments to demonstrate his class. After two seasons of regular football in the Championship, Van den Berg’s future at Boro this summer is unknown, with interest still high and only two years left on his current contract. If Boro sold, they would make a significant profit on what they paid PEC Zwolle.
Juventus is paying Van Aarle an undisclosed figure this summer, but it is thought to be less than £1 million. He will join their Next Gen squad, which presently competes in Serie C, as part of the club’s goal to develop more players from their academy sides. Despite being only 17, Van Aarle got into the Eindhoven first squad in the second part of the season, making 19 appearances in all.
Eindhoven technical manager Marc Scheepers stated, “Sometimes things can move rapidly, and Shane demonstrates that here. If you can play so steadily and maturely as an 18-year-old, major clubs will naturally take notice. We provided him a plan for a longer stay in Eindhoven, but if a team like Juventus comes along, I understand his decision. Finally, we can be proud of Shane and our academy.
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