Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Ajax and Holland international defender Jairo Riedewald, for an undisclosed fee reported to be around £8million.
Eagles manager Fran de Boer knows the 20-year-old well having handed him his debut in 2013 when the pair were in Amsterdam together, and the player has gone on to make a total of 92 appearances for the club in all competitions as well as earning three caps for his country.
De Boer has been keen on a ball-playing defender since his arrival at Selhurst Park at the end of June, and he always had Riedewald at the top of his wanted list. So he is naturally pleased to have landed his top target, and for a reasonable fee which could be seen as a bargain in todays market.
“Jairo is a player I know well through my time at Ajax and I’m glad that he’s now coming to join us,” he told the official club website. “He will be an excellent addition to our squad. Jairo is a young player but already has a lot of experience. I know he is looking forward to playing in the Premier League.”
Riedewald becomes de Boer’s first permanent signing since succeeding Sam Allardyce as Palace boss, with his other capture, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a loan addition from Chelsea. And the Dutch youngster is relishing the opportunity his former manager has presented him.
“I am very pleased to be joining Crystal Palace and delighted to have the opportunity to come over and play in the Premier League,” he said. “The Premier League is a great competition to be involved in and it is a great opportunity to be working under Frank de Boer once again having been with him at Ajax.”
