1. FC Union has announced the third new signing for the coming season. The 23-year-old Dutchman Danilho Doekhi comes from Vitesse Arnhem. The central defender captained the sixth-placed Eredivisie team last season and has now switched to the Europa League participants in Berlin on a free transfer once his contract has expired.
“With the move to the Bundesliga, I want to take the next step in my career. Union is a huge opportunity for me and I want to take the club further on its way,” Doekhi said in a club statement. “During the talks, I also got the feeling that I can continue to improve here. I’ve also heard a lot about the stadium and the atmosphere here, and I’m particularly looking forward to that.”
Last season, Doekhi made 29 league appearances for Vitesse, plus 11 games in the Conference League. The defender scored four goals. A total of 107 first division games are available for him. In his youth, Doekhi was active for his hometown club Excelsior Rotterdam and Ajax. In Amsterdam, Doekhi played with Matthijs de Ligt and Justin Kluivert, among others.
“Danilho has the ideal qualifications for a modern centre-back. He has a strong physique, but is also very agile at the same time,” says Union manager Oliver Ruhnert. “In addition, as captain of Vitesse, he learned to take responsibility and play a leadership role in the team structure.”
After Doekhi, the next new signing is already on the horizon at Union. According to “Kicker”, the Berliners agree with relegated Greuther Fürth on a change from Jamie Leweling. The 21-year-old offensive player is said to cost four million euros.
