What really happened between Sunderland, Jenson Seelt & NEC Nijmegen this summer.
Sunderland believe they have acted honourably and transparently throughout the Jenson Seelt transfer process despite criticism from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen following the defender’s surprise loan move to Bundesliga club Wolfsburg on transfer deadline day.
The Echo understands the Black Cats held open and constructive dialogue with NEC all summer and remain disappointed by claims that a “verbal agreement” to send Seelt back to the Netherlands was broken. The two clubs did business over the £11.5million deal to bring Robin Roefs to Wearside successfully, but NEC’s interest in Seelt is said to have pre-dated the move.
Club sources have stressed that Sunderland pride themselves on maintaining a strong reputation within the football world and point to several complex negotiations successfully navigated this summer – including the Marc Guiu situation with Chelsea – where all parties remained on cordial terms.
Sunderland’s transfer team believe Seelt’s eventual move to Wolfsburg was dictated by circumstances rather than broken promises, with the player and his representatives ultimately deciding to test themselves in the Bundesliga. Sources also indicate that the Black Cats kept an open dialogue with NEC throughout the process, but the decision ultimately rested with the player’s camp.
A key factor in the timeline was an early-season injury to Dan Ballard, which meant Sunderland were initially unable to sanction Seelt’s exit after the Burnley game. With defensive numbers stretched, the 22-year-old even made two Premier League appearances before the arrivals of Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, and the agreed deal for Lutsharel Geertruida eased the situation.
During that period, Seelt’s introduction to Premier League football caught the attention of Wolfsburg, who moved quickly to secure his signature. The Echo understands Seelt’s representatives had been in ongoing talks with NEC throughout the summer, but also explored alternative opportunities once the situation shifted. Sunderland were open to both options but allowed the decision to rest with the player rather than forcing him into a move elsewhere on deadline day.
Speaking on deadline day, Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the Bundesliga opportunity made sense for all parties following the deadline day move: “First and foremost, we were delighted to see Jenson return to action this summer. Throughout pre-season and the start of the Premier League campaign, he’s looked really good.
“But we believe this season he needs to play more minutes than we can guarantee at this moment in time. The opportunity to play in the Bundesliga is the perfect platform for him to feature regularly at a high level and gain the experience he needs at this stage of his development.”
NEC general manager Wilco van Schaik, however, criticised Sunderland’s handling of the situation, claiming they expected Seelt to return to the Netherlands as part of the same window in which they agreed a deal for goalkeeper Robin Roefs: “I wasn’t happy about that, and certainly not Carlos [Aalbers, NEC’s technical director].:”
He continued: “The deal was a done deal. We closed the deal with Roefs, and then we also made a verbal agreement with Sunderland that we would acquire Seelt for this amount. They said they’d keep him for a while because he had to play. Okay, no problem.
“But it took forever. Last Sunday, they said they had so many injuries that it wasn’t allowed anymore. They called again on Friday to say they were going to buy two more. So he’s back. Well, we’d already made the arrangements, and suddenly we saw him yesterday afternoon in the Wolfsburg shirt. That’s not how you do business.”
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