Bafana Bafana midfielder Thulani Serero joins Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem

14 June 2017 - 13:46 By Nick Said
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Bafana Bafana midfielder Thulani Serero signs a contract with Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday 14 June 2017.
Bafana Bafana midfielder Thulani Serero signs a contract with Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday 14 June 2017.
Image: Vitesse Arnhem via Facebook

Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem have completed the signing of Bafana Bafana playmaker Thulani Serero‚ the team announced on Wednesday.

Serero will be given the opportunity to breath new life into his ailing club career after he was not registered by Ajax Amsterdam for the 2016/17 campaign‚ leading to him losing his place in the national team.

The 27-year-old ends a six-season stay in Amsterdam after a €2.5-million transfer from Ajax Cape Town in 2011‚ during which time he won three domestic league titles.

Despite the way his Amsterdam career ended‚ Serero was for two seasons an automatic pick at the club and memorably scored a goal against Barcelona in a UEFA Europa League victory for Ajax in 2013.

His return to regular action on the pitch will be a boost to Bafana coach Stuart Baxter‚ who says he overlooked Serero for his most recent squad because of his lack of game-time.

But there is no doubt that a match-fit Serero would be an asset for the national team as they seek to reach the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Serero is not the first South African to sign for Vitesse.

Darius Dhlomo‚ one of the first black South African footballers to play in Europe‚ joined the team in 1961.

Vitesse finished fifth in the Dutch League in the 2016/17 season and also won the Dutch Cup‚ meaning they have qualified automatically for the group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2017/18.

The club was formed 125 years ago and they have never won the Dutch league.

They are currently coached by former Netherlands international Henk Fraser.

- TMG Digital/TMG Sport

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