Football Season Guide

Having been promoted from the Eerste Divisie last summer, Excelsior eventually managed to maintain their Eredivisie status at the end of a mixed campaign. Their first taste of the new league was a bitter one as they lost 4 out of the initial 5 games but managed to straighten the ship, actually lifting themselves out of the bottom 3 come November. Then, 2 5-game unbeaten streaks, at the start of 2026 and at the end of the campaign, allowed them to make a 13-place finish. While they did not excel in any areas, they scored 43 goals but conceded 56, Excelsior proved a tough nut to crack for all the teams fighting for survival and even pulled out unexpected wins against giants like Ajax and Twente. 35-year-old Coach den Uil was confirmed at the helm of the team for the third season in a row. He will have to deal with a squad that was partly renewed, especially at the back, over the summer. With back-up goalie Raatsie gone, they hired a new deputy for impressive Van Gassel in Biai. Moreover, the defence saw the departure of 3 starters. Right-back Bronkhorst should be replaced by Martens, coming off a positive stint at De Graafschap, while key left-back Zagré should be replaced by loanee Bos. At centre-back, Schouten returned to his parent club and Plug arrived from Feyenoord: the latter should join solid Widell in the heart of the defence. The midfield was hardly touched with only forgettable Carlén going away and Van Vianen arriving as his substitute. On the other hand, the attack underwent a major overhaul with starting wingers Fernandes and Hansson gone together with strikers Van Duinen and Wlodarczyk. So far, only a winger, Silva Timas, and a striker, Garden, a non-entity at this level, were signed. Since last season they clearly suffered from lacking a prolific striker, the problem was not solved yet. If nothing else, they managed to retain attacking midfielder Naujoks, capable of 10 goals and 1 assist.