3/1 To Win
After the double loan signings of Mason Mount and Harry Wilson earlier this week, Derby County moved to add more attacking talent to their squad by securing the services of Florian Jozefzoon.
The 27-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Pride Park Stadium with appearances in the Champions League, Europa League and two Eredivisie title campaigns as well as Sky Bet Championship experience during his time at Brentford.
So, how did Jozefzoon get to this point? Here, dcfc.co.uk takes an in-depth look at his career so far…
Background…
Jozefzoon was born in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in French Guiana before moving with his parents, six brothers and two sisters to Netherlands aged two.
By the age of 14, the winger had caught the eye of Ajax, joining their famed youth ranks in 2006. Two years later, he signed a three-year professional contract with the Dutch giants.
In the opening match of the 2010/11 Eredivisie season, Jozefzoon was named in the first-team squad but remained an unused substitute. Six days later he made his senior debut, playing the final 45 minutes of a 4-2 win over Vitesse Arnhem.
The following season he went on loan at NAC Breda, making 17 appearances for the club. In May 2012 Jozefzoon left Ajax on a free transfer to join RKC Waalwijk where he spent one season, scoring seven goals in 36 appearances.
PSV Eindhoven then snapped up the wideman in June 2013 following his performances in the UEFA European Under-21 Championships where Netherlands reached the semi-finals.
Dutch Champion…
In his debut season at PSV, Jozefzoon boosted his résumé by playing in the league, cup, Champions League and Europa League. He made a total of 25 appearances, scoring four goals in his first year.
The 2014/15 season was a landmark year for the Dutch youth international. It began by grabbing the final goal in a 3-1 away win against the club where he first studied his craft, Ajax.
With 21 league appearances and two goals, Jozefzoon helped PSV to another win over Ajax by dethroning the reigning Eredivisie champions. The league title was the first silverware of his career.
Jozefzoon went on to win another Eredivisie title with the club and a Dutch Super Cup making a total 64 appearances with seven goals.
Championship…
Jozefzoon struggled to break back into Eindhoven’s first-team squad after injury in 2015/16 and left to re-establish himself in England in January 2017.
After limited playing time in the first half of the season as he worked his way back from injury, Bees head coach Dean Smith eased Jozefzoon back in the fold. He made 19 appearances to end the 2016/17 season.
His first Championship goal was an equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Barnsley. He went on to score seven goals in 39 league appearances during his only full season at Brentford.
The Bees didn’t lose any game in which Jozefzoon found the back of the net.
