He is the new sensation of the Premier League. He's only 19 years old and is garnering praise as one of the great revelations of the season.
He plays for modest Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola—fifth in the table—above Manchester City and with aspirations for the Champions League. Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal have already fallen to them.
Strange Last Name and Spanish Passport
There plays Kepa, the former goalkeeper of Athletic, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. There is also Justin Kluivert, a familiar face to Spanish fans.
Also Dean Huijsen, a player with a strange last name and a Spanish passport. He's only 19 years old, stands 6 feet 6 inches[1.97m]tall, and is the trending center-back in the Premier League.
Born in Amsterdam, his family moved to Marbella when he was 5 years old, and he developed as a player in Málaga. Not surprisingly, his father had already played in the Eredivisie.
In 2021, he went to Juventus, which loaned him to Roma. Then, Bournemouth, which paid 15 million for him.
He played in the lower categories of the Netherlands (under 16, under 17, and under 18). However, in February of this year, he swore the Spanish constitution and is available for Luis De la Fuente and La Roja.
Better Than Cubarsí?
Last March, he already debuted with the Spanish under-21 against Slovakia. He's taken the reverse path of Brahim with Morocco, switching from the Netherlands to Spain.
He's still in time to change his mind and continue his international career with the Netherlands, but he's clear about it: he's from Málaga and a Málaga fan.
He's a two-footed center-back, with ball-playing ability, speed, strength, and exceptional aerial play.
He recently declared to EFE: "I'm a center-back with good ball-playing ability and I chose to go to Italy to improve my defense. The style of Spain suits me well."
Dean Huijsen - Season Highlights | 2024
Huijsen is the center-back of the future. Barça and Real Madrid know it. Their respective technical departments have very favorable reports on his progress in recent months.
Better than Cubarsí? Time will tell. Although his stature resembles more that of Gerard Piqué.
Real Madrid: a Favorite in the Race for His Transfer
On paper, Real Madrid seems more in need of a center-back with a future and for many years.
He has a contract with Bournemouth until 2030 and his valuation on transfermarkt is 18 million euros. Bournemouth will ask for more, much more.
However, Real Madrid will pay whatever it takes because his position is vital. Ancelotti has serious problems there with injuries. He even uses Tchouaméni to play in a position that's not his.
The operation could go up to 80 million euros. However, the white club is willing to invest in a young Spanish talent with many years ahead. 2025 could be the decisive year in Huijsen's career.