Haji Wright’s time with Eredivisie side VVV Venlo is coming to an end.
The Dutch club confirmed Tuesday the list of players who not be re-signed this summer. Wright is one of seven players who will be a free agent on July 1st and will be in search of a new club going forward.
“Peter, Lee, Jerome, John, Haji, Oussama and Thomas, we wish you all the best in the next new sporting challenge that comes your way,” the club said in a statement. “We want to thank you for everything. For your contribution to a beautiful and successful Eredivisie season and for the fact that you have put your shoulders to the wheel this season, together with the whole team, and thanks to you, we can come back to the highest level this coming season.”
Wright joined from Bundesliga side Schalke last summer and signed a one-year deal with Venlo. He totaled 23 first team appearances, registering one goal in cup action and one league assist.
The 22-year-old also made six appearances with Venlo’s Under-21 team, scoring five goals in 530 minutes of action. Venlo finished in 13th place this Eredivisie campaign, prior to the season being concluded due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Wright’s future remains undecided after scoring only three first team goals during his career between stops at VVV Venlo, Schalke, and Sandhausen. A former star with the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team, Wright has made two appearances with the Under-23’s.
However, a lack of production in the Netherlands could pose costly for Wright’s international future with many young and promising talents coming through the U.S. Soccer ranks.
Wright joined Ajax’s Sergino Dest as the only other American player to earn first-team minutes in Holland this season, with FC Emmen’s Desevio Payne out injured for most of it. A move back to Germany could be in Wright’s future with many Americans featuring for Bundesliga sides this season.
It’s time for him to come to MLS. He could still have a Sebastian Llegget type career here. Come back to the Galaxy, they need another CF.
As I remember he was quite the prospect when he was 15 and 16. He’s a big guy and I think he just developed early. He probably should see if he can find a job in MLS.
i dunno. He’s a strange case. Scores prolifically with u23/ reserves, but can’t quite figure it out with the pros. I’m afraid he’d be a USL lifer if he moved stateside now. I’d rather see him take a chance with a Scots or Scandinavian club for a year or two before trying his luck stateside.
Honestly, I haven’t seen much of Haji, but from what I’ve seen he’s really athletic but maybe lacks the technical skill on and off the ball. Against reserves that athleticism rises above but against top flight it’s not enough. Kind of hard to judge VVV was pretty bad when I saw them but they were only on US TV playing Ajax or PSV so maybe that’s a little unfair.
technically Desevio earned Eredivisie minutes this season.
only 56 of them before he got hurt, but he did have minutes.
In 5 years you will see this Tripled at least. In terms of Americans participating in Holland and frankly they’ll continue yo increase everywhere. Always part of the process.
Wright? Earned all those minutes despite being a loanee and despite not being able to do what he’s paid to do. Could he be an altidore type of player? Looks extremely, extremely unlikely. Remember what altidore has accomplished to this point – Wright will have to prove he’s truly an exceptional case
Pretty sure he was not on loan to Venlo.
correct, Clyde.
it was a free transfer
Don’t ever put Haji Wright and Altidore in the same sentence for comparisons sake! Haji would have to go on the most miraculous tear over the next several years to have the career that Jozy has had up to this point!
At this point in Haji’s career, he’s not too far off from Altidore… in 2010/2011 Jozy scored 3 professional goals in 26 matches playing in Turkey & in a little in Spain. The year before that he scored 1 goal in 28 games for Hull.
I admit that there’s a difference. Hull was in the EPL. VVV is not. I’ve not see Haji play much, and I don’t think he’ll measure up to Jozy. I just think people forget that at 20/21, Jozy was starting to be thought of as a flop. He was 22 when he scored 20 goals in 52 appearances for AZ. Haji is 22 now, so we should know pretty quickly whether he’ll progress.