Football Season Guide

Having been relegated to the Eerste Divisie in 2022/2023 after a 23-year-long Eredivisie tenure, FC Groningen were promoted back to the top flight of the Dutch football at the first time of asking. Coach Dick Lukkien, the architect of recent Emmen miracles who had also been a manager for Groningen youth system, was hired to bring them back among the elite, which he did despite a poor start. In fact, until mid-November his boys looked fragile and wins were rare for them. Then, they started an unstoppable march, they lost once out of the last 22 games, that brought them from the 13th standing to the 3rd spot. In the last week of the campaign, they hosted second-place Roda and, thanks to a 2-0 win and a better goal difference, they returned to the Eredivisie. Their summer was a very quiet one in terms of departures. In fact, they maintained the back-bone of the squad unaltered, only losing starting left-back Määttä, who left them for Bodø/Glimt. The likes of Van Gelderen, Beukers and Bakker, who also left for pastures new over the summer, had not played any relevant role in the past campaign. With experienced Peersman, who can also act at centre-back, and young Prins in the squad, Groningen did not deem it necessary the arrival of another left-back to replace departed Määttä. On the other hand, they signed Vaessen as the new back-up for Jurjus in goal, something they should have already done last January after deciding to let Verrips go. Moreover, they signed centre-back Stam, who is highly thought of at AZ, and saw a few players returning from loans elsewhere, with left winger Oratmangoen being the only one with a chance to play after a decent season at Fortuna Sittard. However, attacking midfielder Oosting, who had an outstanding season at Willem II, represents the main summer investment for Groningen and he is expected to become a big protagonist for the white and green side in the long run.