Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joël Veltman is in his final year of contract and his future beyond this season needs to be clarified.
In 2020, the defender joined Brighton from Ajax, after spending close to two decades in Amsterdam. He’s been regularly linked with a return to his former club.
Earlier this week, the 33-year-old told Ajax’s official website that he could return to the club. On Wednesday, the Brighton player gave another interview to the Dutch media. Ajax Showtime have relayed his comments.
Ajax suffered a 5-1 crushing defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League yesterday. The Dutchman visited Stamford Bridge, where he had a chat with Ziggo Sport about the possibility of returning to the Eredivisie side.
It’s been over five years since Veltman left Ajax. However, the 33-year-old says he has always maintained regular contact with several people related to his former club. He also insisted a decision on his future could depend on the Seagulls.
“I’m still in touch with team managers, players, and the press officer. That contact is always there,” he said.
“I don’t know how things will go. I still have a contract until the end of the summer; maybe Brighton wants to continue. I still have to make a decision about that; we’ll see.”
This season, the defender played six matches for the Premier League club before suffering a calf injury.
“It would be great [to return to Ajax], but I’m also really enjoying myself in England. I’m playing a lot, so you have to factor that into your decisions,” Veltman explained.
Irrespective of whether the Brighton man returns to the Netherlands, he insists Ajax ‘have to rebuild’.