Nijmegen Accuse Sunderland of Breaching Verbal Agreement

Tensions have flared between NEC Nijmegen and Sunderland after the Dutch club accused the Premier League side of reneging on a verbal agreement to loan defender Jenson Seelt during the summer transfer window.

According to Algemeen Dagblad, NEC are furious with Sunderland’s handling of the situation, which unfolded after the Dutch side sold goalkeeper Robin Roefs to the Black Cats for a club-record fee of €10.5 million. As part of that deal, NEC believed they had secured a verbal commitment to bring Seelt to the Eredivisie on loan.

Instead, the 22-year-old centre-back made a surprise deadline-day switch to Bundesliga outfit VfL Wolfsburg, having featured in three matches for Sunderland earlier in the season.

“This Is the Ugly Side of Football”

NEC general manager Wilco van Schaik voiced his frustration in an interview with ESPN NL, revealing that the club’s technical director Carlos Aalbers was “angry” and “done with it” after Sunderland failed to honour what they considered a settled arrangement.

“The takeover was a done deal. We closed the deal with Roefs, and then we also made a verbal agreement with Sunderland that we would acquire Seelt for this amount,” Van Schaik said.

He explained that Sunderland initially told NEC they needed to keep Seelt temporarily due to squad depth concerns, which the Dutch club accepted. However, the situation dragged on, and NEC were blindsided when Seelt was unveiled in a Wolfsburg shirt on deadline day.

“They said they’d keep him for a while because he needed to play. Okay, no problem. Then last Sunday, they said they had so many injuries that he wasn’t allowed anymore. On Friday, they called again to say they were going to buy two more defenders after all. So he’s back. Well, we’d already made the arrangements.”

Van Schaik didn’t mince words, calling Sunderland’s conduct “the ugly side of football” and revealing that Aalbers had even texted the English club to express regret over selling Roefs.

Fallout and Frustration

The fallout has left NEC feeling betrayed, especially after making logistical and squad plans around Seelt’s expected arrival. While verbal agreements are not legally binding, they often carry weight in football negotiations, particularly when tied to larger deals.

Sunderland have yet to publicly respond to the accusations, but the episode casts a shadow over their relationship with NEC and raises questions about transparency and trust in cross-border transfers.

As for Seelt, he now begins a new chapter in Germany with Wolfsburg, while NEC are left to reassess their defensive options—and their dealings with Sunderland.