Who is Sontje Hansen? The winger wanted by Leeds United and Birmingham City | OneFootball

NEC winger Sontje Hansen is attracting transfer interest from Leeds United and Birmingham City after an impressive year in the Eredivisie.

Highlights

Leeds United and Birmingham City are both believed to be tracking NEC forward Sontje Hansen as they look to strengthen their respective squads this summer.

The Whites, who would presumably hold a major advantage if it came to a direct choice for Hansen as a Championship club, are seeking attacking reinforcements after the departure of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham.

Meanwhile, ambitious Birmingham have been very aggressive in the market this summer, as they back new boss Chris Davies, and the long-term project at St. Andrew’s is sure to appeal.

It has been claimed by Voetbal International that the two English clubs are weighing up a move for Hansen, who still has three years left on his contract with the Eredivisie outfit.

Sontje Hansen’s career so far

The 22-year-old, who can play down either flank, has had a good footballing education, having spent a decade with Dutch giants Ajax, coming through their famed academy.

After coming through the ranks, Hansen would progress into the Jong Ajax side, which is effectively the reserves.

They actually play in the second division in the Netherlands, so Hansen has been exposed to competitive football from an early age, as he made his debut for the side at 17, and he would go on to play over 80 games over a four-year period, where he scored 13 times.

Hansen’s talent also saw him promoted to the first-team, and he made his debut for Ajax in the Dutch Cup in the 2019/20 season. Another outing would follow in the same campaign, as he came on as a sub against ADO Den Haag in a league game.

Despite that, Hansen wouldn’t get the regular game time he wanted in Amsterdam, so he decided to move to NEC in 2023 - and it’s a decision that has paid off.

Such form has also seen Hansen earn international recognition, as he has represented the Netherlands at every youth level up to and including the U21s.

Sontje Hansen impresses with NEC

The Nijmegen outfit enjoyed a brilliant season last time out, with Hansen key to their success as they finished sixth in the top-flight.

Whilst that didn’t bring European football, as they were beaten in the Conference League play-off, it was still a promising season, with Hansen registering ten goal contributions (six goals, four assists) in 33 league games.

Like all young players, there were some inconsistent spells for Hansen, who wasn’t always a guaranteed starter, but he featured in all but one of the regular season games, which demonstrates his value to the head coach.

Sontje Hansen transfer latest

As well as his impressive productivity, Hansen’s direct style and pace makes him a real threat to the opposition, and his age means that clubs see him as someone who has plenty of room for improvement, hence the interest from Leeds and Birmingham.

With his contract running until the summer of 2027, NEC are under no pressure to cash in for a cheap price.

However, we have seen regularly over the years that Dutch clubs will sell their players if a suitable offer arrives, and they won’t want to stand in the way of Hansen if the chance to progress in his career comes along.

So, it’s one to monitor in the final weeks of the window, as Leeds and Birmingham look for ways to improve their squads.