As Sheffield United, Leicester, Southampton and Birmingham City emerge as potential destinations for Oliver Antman, the fact he was recently mentioned in the same breath as both Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal and Liverpool talisman Mo Salah speaks volumes.
Specifically, it speaks volumes about Oliver Antman’s sudden emergence as one of the greatest creative forces of European football.
Albeit, of course, at a level far below where Lamine Yamal and Mo Salah are used to operating.
No player in the Dutch Eredivisie produced more assists during the 2024/25 campaign. Across all competitions, the winger with a superhero surname announced himself as a one-man Marvel while setting up no fewer than 17 goals for his grateful Go Ahead Eagles teammates.
Across Europe’s top ten leagues, only Salah and Bayern Munich’s former Crystal Palace playmaker Michael Olise provided more assists, as Voetbal International point out. Small in name but big in talent, Antman joins Yamal and Sporting Lisbon’s Francisco Trincao on the podium in joint-second place.
No wonder the Birmingham City fans are dreaming of Oliver Antman dashing down the right-hand side under Chris Davies. No wonder the promotion-seeking trio of Sheffield United, Southampton and Leicester are interested too.
Oliver Antman playing in the Dutch Eredivisie game between NAC Breda v Go Ahead Eagles - Eredivisie
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
Oliver Antman considers his options as Southampton, Leicester City and Sheffield United emerge
EFL Analysis have been informed, via football correspondent Graeme Bailey, that the flying Finn could become the latest FC Nordsjaelland graduate to grace English football with his searing speed.
Antman represented Danish outfit Nordsjaelland – like Mohammed Kudus, Simon Adingra and Southampton’s own Kamaldeen Sulemana – before joining Go Ahead Eagles in an inspired £1 million deal last summer.
Should the 23-year-old move on after only 12 months in the Netherlands, he could replace Willum Willumsson – the rangy playmaker who swapped Deventer for St Andrews – as Go Ahead Eagles’ most expensive-ever export.
“The season went exactly as well as I dared to hope and dream,” a beaming Antman told Finnish publication Yle recently, capping a fine league campaign with Go Ahead Eagles’ first-ever Dutch Cup triumph when beating AZ Alkmaar on penalties.
“That feeling was something indescribable. A great feeling and a really proud feeling of myself, the club and the team.”
As for his immediate future, while the lure of English football may prove impossible to ignore, clearly this is not a case of there being, ahem, ants in Antman’s pants.
“The big thing is also that I enjoy myself on and off the pitch,” he added. “I like living in Deventer and I like playing for Go Ahead Eagles. It’s really good to be there.
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing if I stayed in Holland. I enjoy playing there. But we’ll see what the summer brings.”
Antman tipped for a ‘top club’ as Birmingham City weigh up another Eredivisie swoop
Back in May, Antman followed up a brace against eventual Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven with another goal and two assists during a 3-2 victory over NEC Nijmegen.
“It’s really special what he does,” head coach Paul Simonis told Voetbal International after watching Antman leave the NEC defence for dead before setting up Dean James’ opener. “It often looks so simple with him, but everything works. He’s really very good.”
“Oliver proves it every week and is already putting up such numbers. He is the assist king of the Eredivisie and that, with all due respect, is at a club like Go Ahead and not at PSV. Then, he also scores easily.
“Oliver at a top club? I can see that.”
The aforementioned Southampton are targeting Chilean Lucas Cepeda, too, as Johannes Spors scours the market for potential Tyler Dibling replacements. Birmingham have also made excellent use of the Dutch market in recent times.
After raiding Go Ahead Eagles for Willumsson, Birmingham have added Sontje Hansen – NEC’s former Ajax starlet – to a wishlist also including Oliver Antman.