Redouan El Yaakoubi hopes to take a step higher in the Eredivisie after this season. Although Excelsior recently lifted an option in his contract, the much-discussed defender thinks it is time for the next step.
El Yaakoubi lost 4-0 with Excelsior at PSV on Saturday, but the game in the Philips Stadium still tastes like more for him. “I think I have shown that I can keep up with the level,” he says in front of the camera Football news. “I hope to make a good step after this year.”
The 27-year-old mandekker is stuck in Kralingen after his contract extension until mid-2024, so a small transfer fee will have to be paid. “My ambition has been from the beginning of the year that I would like to make a move. Regardless of what the situation is now and how I feel at the club, I still aspire to that. Whether an option has been exercised or not, doesn’t matter that much.”
The course of events surrounding the OneLove campaign has had an impact on El Yaakoubi. Excelsior stripped him of the captaincy after he refused to pose behind a OneLove banner and did not want to wear the special OneLove band. “Of course I was not happy with the situation. I’m playing football now, but whether I go to the club with a super good feeling, no, not necessarily.”
Video player
Check out the latest videos
More videos
