Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 1:00 PM
FC Groningen has signed Etienne Vaessen. The 28-year-old goalkeeper signs a three-season contract in Euroborg with an option for an additional year. Vaessen comes over on a free transfer from RKC Waalwijk.
Etienne Vaessen was born on July 26, 1995 in Breda and switched from amateur football to RKC Waalwijk at the age of 20. The goalkeeper made his debut in professional football on August 12, 2016 and fought his way into the starting line-up a season later. In his second season as a starter, Vaessen was promoted to the Eredivisie with RKC Waalwijk via the play-offs and has remained active with the Waalwijkers at the highest level ever since.
Vaessen played a total of 210 games in the main squad of RKC Waalwijk in which he kept a clean sheet 44 times. At the end of last season, the goalkeeper made his debut as an international player for Suriname. To date, he has played two international matches for the country where his grandfather was born.
Vaessen had a wide choice of clubs from home and abroad after his contract in Waalwijk expired. The closing post chose the Pride of the North with full conviction. “Contact with the club has been going on for a while and I have carefully weighed all options,” says Vaessen. “I am very happy with this step. FC Groningen is a great club with a large stadium and a great following. I immediately had a very good feeling about that and I was also impressed by the presentation and the club’s development plan. I am at a good age for a goalkeeper and want to continue growing in the coming years. In my opinion, that is very possible at FC Groningen. I will give everything for this club in the coming years. It must become a stable Eredivisie club again as quickly as possible with a view of more and I want to make a nice contribution to that.”
The goalkeeper is looking forward to his adventure in Groningen and the matches in Euroborg. The Brabander makes the first transfer of his career. “Everything is new. The stadium, the people, the environment. I consciously chose this to develop myself as a person. I know the supporters from my matches here with RKC and from matches on television. They make a lot of noise and are behind the team for better or for worse. I’m looking forward to the moment of standing here on the field in the FC Groningen shirt.”
