Ahead of Revierderby
Sepp van den Berg will face his biggest task of the season when Schalke face Dortmund in the Revierderby on Saturday afternoon. But the game aside, former Schalke head coach Huub Stevens believes that Van den Berg is among the players that can make a big difference in the derby but also across the entire season for die Knappen and could even be an option for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“I think sporting director Rouven Schröder has done a fantastic job this summer,” Stevens said as part of a roundtable organized by the DFL ahead of the Revierderby. “Of course, you always want to sign the best players in the world, but the financial situation made that impossible.”
Nonetheless, Stevens believes that Schröder put together a strong team. “A team that can be competitive and fights off relegation,” Stevens said. When asked which players to watch both in the derby and also throughout the season, Stevens quickly picked out his two Dutch compatriots Thomas Ouwejan (signed from AZ Alkmaar) and center-back Van den Berg.
Van der Vaart to Malen: The most expensive Dutch players in Bundesliga history
22 Rafael van der Vaart | from Ajax to HSV | Fee: €5.1m
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Season 05/06
Last updated: 25.5.2022
21 Orlando Engelaar | from Twente to Schalke | Fee: €5.5m
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Season 08/09
20 Eljero Elia | from Juventus to Werder | Fee: €5.5m
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Season 12/13
19 Mark van Bommel | from Barcelona to Bayern | Fee: €6m
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Season 06/07
18 Joris Mathijsen | from AZ Alkmaar to HSV | Fee: €6m
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Season 06/07
17 Bas Dost | from Sporting to Eintracht Frankfurt | Fee: €7m
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Season 19/20
16 Ryan Babel | from Liverpool to Hoffenheim | Fee: €7m
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Season 10/11
15 Bas Dost | from Heerenveen to VfL Wolfsburg | Fee: €7m
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Season 12/13
14 Mitchel Bakker | from PSG to Bayer Leverkusen | Fee: €7m
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Season 21/22
13 Jeremiah St. Juste | from Feyenoord to Mainz | Fee: €8m
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Season 19/20
12 Eljero Elia | from Twente to HSV | Fee: €9m
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Season 09/10
11 Wout Weghorst | from AZ Alkmaar to VfL Wolfsburg | Fee: €10.5m
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Season 18/19
10 Jeremie Frimpong | from Celtic to Bayer Leverkusen | Fee: €11m
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Season 20/21
9 Jeffrey Bruma | from PSV to VfL Wolfsburg | Fee: €11.5m
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Season 16/17
8 Luuk de Jong | from Twente to Gladbach | Fee: €12m
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Season 12/13
7 Riechedly Bazoer | from Ajax to VfL Wolfsburg | Fee: €12m
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Season 16/17
6 Rafael van der Vaart | from Tottenham to HSV | Fee: €13m
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Season 12/13
5 Davy Klaassen | from Everton to Werder | Fee: €13.5m
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Season 18/19
4 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | from AC Milan to Schalke | Fee: €14m
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Season 10/11
3 Roy Makaay | from La Coruna to Bayern | Fee: €19.75m
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Season 03/04
2 Arjen Robben | from Real Madrid to Bayern | Fee: €25m
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Season 09/10
1 Donyell Malen | from PSV to BVB | Fee: €30m
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Season 21/22
Stevens: “Van den Berg interesting for the Dutch national team”
“I am very curious how our new signing Van den Berg will perform in the derby,” Stevens said. “Van den Berg is certainly a player who could also be interesting for the Dutch national team. But before that, he has to grow at Schalke. He is a player who I have been watching for some time, and I told Schalke two years ago to keep an eye on him; he is an interesting player.”
Schalke wanted to sign the center-back from PEC Zwolle, but instead, Van den Berg was sold to Liverpool for €1.9m ahead of the 2019/20 season. There the center-back has played just four games across all competitions.
Liverpool then loaned Van den Berg to Championship side Preston North End in February 2021. Over two and a half seasons, the 20-year-old managed 66 games (two goals and one assist). Ahead of this season, Liverpool believed the young center-back was ready for the next step, and with Schalke looking to strengthen their defense, the club opted to sign the Dutchman on loan for one season. “It is a good thing for everyone involved,” Stevens concluded.
Mané in 2nd place – Liverpool’s most valuable departures
12 Milan Baros | 2005/06 | Age: 28 | Market value: €17.5m*
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Joined Aston Villa for €8.8m
*Age and market value at time of the transfer
11 Robbie Keane | 2008/09 | Age: 28 | Market value: €21m
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Joined Spurs for €16.7m
10 Javier Mascherano | 2010/11 | Age: 26 | Market value: €26m
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Joined FC Barcelona for €20m
9 Xabi Alonso | 2009/10 | Age: 30 | Market value: €27m
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Joined Real Madrid for €34.5m
8 Christian Benteke | 2016/17 | Age: 25 | Market value: €27m
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Joined Crystal Palace for €31.2m
7 Georginio Wijnaldum | 2021/22 | Age: 30 | Market value: €30m
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Joined PSG on a free transfer
6 Emre Can | 2018/19 | Age: 24 | Market value: €30m
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Joined Juventus on a free transfer
5 Raheem Sterling | 2015/16 | Age: 20 | Market value: €40m
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Joined Manchester City for €63.7m
4 Fernando Torres | 2010/11 | Age: 26 | Market value: €50m
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Joined Chelsea for €58.5m
3 Luis Suárez | 2014/15 | Age: 27 | Market value: €52m
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Joined FC Barcelona for €81.7m
2 Sadio Mané | 2022/23 | Age: 30 | Market value: €70m
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Joined Bayern Munich for €32m
1 Philippe Coutinho | 2017/18 | Age: 25 | Market value: €90m
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Joined FC Barcelona for €135m
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