Exactly this. He was an average starter in a really good Ajax side. The fact that he got a few CL goals behind his name earned him the spot on the ballon d'or short list. He wasn't an exceptional talent.
In a typical Eredivisie season there's generally only one or two players that could hack it a top club. I think from this season it's Gakpo and Mazraoui.
Memphis was in that category and still flopped. VDB was never in that category. In that 18/19 I'd have put my money on De Jong and De Ligt, and the latter has disappointed.
Players we've been linked with in the lazy press are either really overrated (Gravenberch) or not ready IMO (Timber and Malacia). The Eredivise is the OG farmers league.
Getting back to VDB, he wasn't that great in the CL apart from the goals. He's been bang average for Everton and us.
I think he'll be a good and useful squad player under ETH next season, and he'll either leave for his career after that or be content with his role. No one will match his salary.
No he didn't look different.
Dont watch much Dutch football nowadays, but I agree with the majority of what you are saying. Also hope ETH onl signs one or two at most from the league or old players. Is a little strange how a lot of fans seem to almost want him to turn us actually into Ajax and are obsessed with us playing a system.
Last season a lot of people seemed to be raving about Calvin Stengs for example, yet whenever I watch Nice as I love Giouri, he doesnt seem to be gettign many minutes from the bench and they of course also have a previously hyped player in Justin Kluivert who is doin gpretty well there but seeems to hav efound his level after failing at Roma and on loan to Leipzig.
I did enjoy Ajax and there run to in the CL when VDB was there. For me DeJong and DeLigt were way above the others. I thought Neres and Ziyech and even Tadic were all decent but found it crazy all the hype of Ziyech going to Chelsea when though he failed there, he was replacing am already better player by far in Willian and he hasnt exactly pulled up trees.
For me VDB was behind them. Had the typicla Ajax technical skills and seemed a real busy body which I liked, but I was really dissapointed when we signed him over a couple of players heavily linked the same summer like Grealish.
You would expect him to do better under ETH but nothing to get excited about. Anyway, even with all of our midfield departures this summer, do we even need him?
Our midfield is totally lopsided. We will have McTominay, Fred, Garner, VDB, Fernandes and Hannibal, six players and not one of them for the real defensive midfield birth, they are virtually all for the defensive midfield play making birth or Fernandes position, we really dont need them all and yet we are getting linked most at the moment with the defensive midfield play maker in the transfer market....one or two of them should go I feel and for me VDB would definately be one of them