Brighton and Hove Albion defender Joel Veltman has admitted the time is fast approaching for him to consider his future.
The Brighton defender has been [speaking to Ajax’s official website](https://www.ajax.nl/artikelen/het-voelde-als-het-ajax-van-de-jaren-negentig/), in which he admits a return to former club Ajax could be on the cards.
Veltman is now 33 years old and in the final year of his deal with Brighton. That’s due to expire next summer. Whether he extends his stay with the Seagulls beyond that, remains to be seen.
He remains a regular in their side, although he has missed the last two games with a calf injury. Before that he managed 55 minutes against Chelsea and 90 minutes in games against Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester City.
Those minutes suggest he remains a part of Fabian Hurzeler’s plans. Indeed, Brighton only handed him his last deal in January this year as further proof of that. He, though, insists he’s thinking about life after football.
“At my age, it seems healthy to think about life after football,” he said.
“I’m not necessarily going to say I want to be a head coach. For example, when I played for Ajax, I received specialist training from Jaap Stam.
“As a defender, I learned so much from that. Dennis Bergkamp did the same with the attackers back then. A role as a specialist coach seems like a good fit for me.”
A return to Ajax has long been suggested for him. He came through the youth ranks at the Dutch club and made it to the first team in 2012. He went on to make 246 appearances for them after that before joining Brighton in 2020.
He’s regularly kept a close eye on them since and was linked with a return in the summer as well. That remains a possibility for next year, but it depends on Brighton first.
“Yes, but the timing wasn’t right,” he said about the summer interest.
“I still had a current contract. That expires next summer. Then it becomes a time for making choices. Do Brighton want to continue with me? Do I embark on another adventure abroad, or is that the time for a return to Ajax? I’ll think about it carefully.”