Dutch journalist makes exciting Newcastle United transfer claim - 'without a doubt'
We spoke to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij about Newcastle United’s latest signing Sean Steur.
Newcastle United have pulled off a major coup in signing Dutch midfielder Sean Steur - but he isn’t quite ready to take the Premier League by storm yet.
That is the view of journalist Mike Verweij, who reports on Ajax and the Netherlands national team for De Telegraaf, one of Holland’s largest daily newspapers.
Newcastle moved quickly to sign Steur from Ajax for £23million last week, and clips of the 18-year-old in training have already caught the attention of fans.
Steur started out at hometown club RKAV Volendam before joining Ajax’s famed academy in 2016.
He made his senior debut during the 2024-25 campaign and at the end of it was awarded the Abdelhak Nouri Trophy – Ajax’s annual award that recognises their brightest academy talent. Previous winners include the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Christian Eriksen, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.
It gave Steur the platform to break into Ajax’s first team last season, featuring 24 times in all competitions. The Dutch giants offered the midfielder a new contract earlier this year, but with no agreement reached, Newcastle swooped in.
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Verweij has told The Gazette that Steur is “one of the greatest talents” to emerge from Ajax’s academy, but has urged patience as he adapts to life in the Premier League. Here is the full Q&A:
How would you describe Sean Steur as a player?
MV: “Sean Steur is a technically gifted, fully two-footed midfielder who combines his technical skills with excellent tactical awareness. As a result, he was regarded in the Netherlands as one of the greatest talents to come out of the Ajax academy.
“Sean is capable of dribbling past a player, but above all of speeding up the play with clever passes between the lines. He is a link-up player.”
Which current or former player would you compare Sean Steur to?
MV: “It’s always risky to compare players of this age with others, as that often creates (too) high expectations. But he certainly has similarities with Frenkie de Jong, who also frequently comes to collect the ball from his centre-backs, can speed up the play and easily turns away from his opponents under pressure.”
Why did Sean Steur leave Ajax?
MV: “Because he lacked the confidence this season that he would secure a regular starting place. In my opinion, this was unjustified.
“The contract offer Ajax had made him actually demonstrated a great deal of confidence. But guarantees of playing time are not given.”
Has Newcastle United pulled off a major coup by signing him?
MV: “Yes, without a doubt. Steur is one of the Netherlands’ greatest talents, with enormous potential for growth. I think he has a bright future in football ahead of him.”
Is he ready to play in the Premier League now, or does he need time to settle in?
MV: “No, physically he’s not quite ready for the Premier League yet. But that’s no disgrace. Almost every player coming from the Eredivisie needs time to settle in.
“Sean has only made 14 starts for Ajax. I think Newcastle United should give him the time he needs to be fully ready for football in England.”