This week the Australian game said goodbye to James Holland as the lure of a foreign career proved too much for another of the A-League’s brightest prospects.
At a rumoured cost of $650,000, Holland is following in the footsteps of a number of others who have made the move to the Netherlands, all with varying degrees of success. Before him, Brett Emerton, Brett Holman and Joey Didulica moved to Holland directly from Australian football.
But the former Jet should look no further than Jason Culina for inspiration, as his European adventure begins.
It’s crucial for Holland to note that the now-established Socceroo hardly had it easy in his formative days in the Netherlands.
Signed by Ajax, Culina never gained a foothold for the Dutch giants, making just three first-team appearances around loans for De Graafschap and Belgium outfit Germinal Beerschot.
Success did eventually come to Culina after a move to FC Twente, but the moral should not be lost for Holland.
Like Culina, he will have to be patient as he looks to eke out his career. Indeed, Holland has already had to test that patience as the transfer to AZ dragged on through December to January.
He knows he must start from the bottom at the Dutch club. As well known as Holland is among Australia’s football followers, his move hasn’t even rated a mention on AZ’s official website.
While many have raised voices at the A-League’s recent player exodus (Jade North and Mile Jedinak have also made high-profile moves overseas), Holland’s potential is perhaps above what can be catered for in Australia.
Deemed worthy of only standby status for Australia’s underwhelming Olympic campaign, his class was all-too evident upon his immediate return from Beijing for Newcastle.
Despite flying in only hours earlier, the three-cap Socceroo’s outstanding potential was clear before he was withdrawn, exhausted, after 79 minutes.
It’s tantalising what Holland can learn under AZ coach Louis van Gaal, who fostered the likes of Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids and the de Boer twins during his spell with Ajax in the 90s.
Holland is still far from the finished article, a fact already pointed out by van Gaal. Writing in his blog this week, Holland described how he was pulled up by his new coach at training.
“I have seen you shoot, and you have no power, you cannot shoot so you need another option,” Holland claims van Gaal said.
Harsh it may seem, it is just an indication of what is to come. But should Holland respond to the challenge ahead, it will only benefit him and, by extension, Australia.
That prospect alone far outweighs the pain of losing another of the A-League’s brightest footballers to foreign lights.
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