Ruben van Bommel: Eredivisie’s most wanted
After an excellent season for MVV Maastricht, Ruben van Bommel has almost every club in the Eredivisie chasing his signature. The son of Mark van Bommel is now one of the most intriguing talents in the Netherlands. Sometimes a young player can come f
After an excellent season for MVV Maastricht, Ruben van Bommel has almost every club in the Eredivisie chasing his signature. The son of Mark van Bommel is now one of the most intriguing talents in the Netherlands.
- By Michael Bell
- Follow Michael on Twitter
Sometimes a young player can come from nowhere and thrust himself firmly in the limelight and nobody has done that more in the Netherlands this season than Ruben van Bommel.
The 18-year-old appeared on the bench twice last season for MVV Maastricht but made his first-team debut in the season-opening loss to Jong AZ Alkmaar. A week later, he came off the bench and scored his first goal against NAC Breda.
The 28th of October marked Van Bommel’s first start in professional football and he assisted the only goal in a 1-0 win over PEC Zwolle. After that day, Van Bommel has been a mainstay in the starting eleven when fit and he has contributed 12 goals and four assists in the 19 games since his first start. He is currently on 14 goals in total this season, and only six players have netted more than him this campaign.
With two league games to go, MVV are in a good position to seal a promotion playoff spot as they sit seventh. However, whatever happens for the rest of the campaign, it is almost certain that Van Bommel will be playing top-flight football next season.
Recent reports in the Netherlands have linked nearly all Eredivisie clubs to the attacker with PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, AZ Alkmaar, FC Twente and Vitesse Arnhem all named as possible destinations.
For PSV, it would be the second time that they have Van Bommel on their books as he left their youth program for MVV back in 2020.
The frustrating thing for MVV is that Van Bommel is shining without having signed his first professional contract at the club, meaning he could be an absolute bargain this summer. However, there are some reports suggesting that Van Bommel will sign a deal with MVV with a release clause, so the club can earn something for him.
Style of Play and Strengths
His father may have been a tough tackling midfielder, and the same with his brother that also currently plays at MVV. However, Ruben is a stylish and direct left-winger.
Van Bommel is 6ft 2 and has excellent close control and a strong right-foot finish. His running style and ability have seen him compared to Cody Gakpo.
Van Bommel likes to run with the ball and can cut inside and shoot, but he is very right-footed. He excels at arriving in the box at the right time and his positional play is strong.
Van Bommel has completed 48.15% of his attempted dribbles this season, while all 14 of his goals are from inside the box and with his right foot. He may want to work on his left foot going forward.
What does the future hold for Van Bommel?
It is going to be an exciting summer for Van Bommel, who will have a pick of clubs to choose from. Teams from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Belgium have all shown interest but he prefers to remain in the Netherlands and the Eredivisie top-half seems the most likely destination.
A move to a club like Heerenveen or Vitesse would see him become a regular in the Eredivisie, while PSV could offer him development time in the first-team and also in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie with Jong PSV.
Van Bommel will need to think smartly about his next destination but his career is currently on the rise and his potential is massive. He has already made his Netherlands U20 debut and he will be targeting an U21 spot next season.
Summary
Van Bommel is an outstanding talent that is having an incredible first season in professional football.
There is still some work to be done in some aspects of his game but training at a higher level club will help this. If he can work on his dribbling and weaker foot then there is nothing stopping Van Bommel from reaching the top.
He could definitely follow in his father’s footsteps to the Netherlands national team.
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