New signing Jordi van Stappershoef has revealed his move to Bristol Rovers will not be his first taste of English football after turning down a move to a Premier League club as a teenager.
Van Stappershoef, now 23, signs as a free agent having been released this summer by his club FC Volendam who play in the Dutch second division, the Eerste Divisie, the same league as Rovers' pre-season opponents last season FC Eindhoven.
The deal for the 6ft 7in Dutchman will officially go through on July 1 and will be subject to EFL approval and the club receiving international clearance.
In his first interview with the official club website the towering goalkeeper revealed his brief encounter with English football seven years ago.
He said: “When I was 16 I had a trial at Stoke City, I was there for a couple of weeks. Only because of private circumstances I had to decline an offer.
“I had some lunch with Peter Crouch, he is an interesting guy.”
Stoke at the time were managed by former Gas player Tony Pulis and an established Premier League side, making forays into Europe in the Europa League. Of course van Stappershoef would have only joined the academy at just 16, but the Amsterdam-born stopper could have gone on to establish himself in the English game.
Bristol Live understands the Gas have been tracking the goalkeeper for as long as 18 months with their interest increasing since Graham Coughlan became manager in January following a short spell as caretaker boss after Darrell Clarke’s departure on December 13, 2018.
However van Stappershoef said he was only made aware of the interest in recent months. He said: “I found out a couple months ago Bristol Rovers were interested, just before the summer break I knew for sure. Tommy Widdrington [Rovers head of recruitment] visited Holland, he came to watch some games and I am really glad to be here.”
FC Volendam play at the Kras Stadion which holds less than 7,000 fans and van Stappershoef said he is looking forward to playing in front of a packed out Memorial Stadium. Talking about why he wanted to make the move into English football he said: “The atmosphere really appeals to me, the experience is great here. The fans are amazing.
“In the division I played in, in the second division in Holland, only the stadium at the big clubs are full.
“I think it is going to be difficult to make the transition but I am really looking forward to it and it is a great division for me.
“It is very exciting [to have signed], I am really looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get started and play some games with quality players.”
