Are AZ Alkmaar genuine contenders for Eredivisie title next season?

Cheeseheads finished third last season

It’s now nine years since AZ Alkmaar last lifted the Eredivisie title. But after some comparatively lean years, the Cheeseheads announced themselves with a third-placed finish last term.

John van den Brom’s side chalked up an impressive 71-point haul, and finished up with the league’s second-best defensive record.

The Coral News Team inspect whether AZ can put in a serious title challenge in 2018-19…

Young side continuing to improve

One thing Alkmaar very much have on their side is youth. A staggering 18 players who featured during the campaign were 23-years-old or less when the campaign began.

Without doubt, the most eye-catching has been Iranian winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh. He followed a haul of 22 goals and 12 assists in Eredivisie last term, and has also gained valuable experience for Iran at this summer’s World Cup.

Amongst the other rising stars are centre-back Pantelis Chatzidiakos, and 20-year-old midfield maestro Guus Til.

However, they’ve also retained the few experienced heads in the squad – which could prove vital. The likes of Ron Vlaar and classy Belgian defender Stijn Wuytens are still on the books ahead of the coming campaign.

Mixed transfer business this summer

There’s one sizeable loss for Alkmaar this summer – Wout Weghorst. The giant target man scored 27 goals in all competitions last term, but has now joined VfL Wolfsburg for a shade under £10m.

He’ll be tough to replace, and so far there’s not even been a partial replacement.