Jeffrey de Lange

The arrival of Jeffrey de Lange is not just a recruitment to make up the numbers. It is a strategic move by the management. His journey, from the prestigious Ajax academy where he learned the basics of possession play, to establishing himself as a respected starter in the Eredivisie with Go Ahead Eagles, outlines the profile of a modern goalkeeper ready for a new challenge. The club sought him out for a specific reason: to provide healthy competition and, above all, a tactical alternative to Gerónimo Rulli. 

His technical profile is clear: excellent reflexes on his line, the ability to make close-range saves as well as from long-range shots, and a quality that likely caught the eye of De Zerbi: a highly effective long game. That’s where his signing makes complete sense. While Rulli excels in short play but shows more limited precision on long balls (52.2% success rate), de Lange offers a "plan B." If the plan A of patient, short build-up play is thwarted by a perfectly organized opponent press, de Lange’s ability to launch precise long balls to our attackers becomes a formidable weapon. The competition between him and Rulli is therefore not just a matter of level, but of profile. 

For now, de Lange remains an enigma at the Vélodrome, with only a few appearances in the cup. He arrives with a solid reputation from the Netherlands, but everything is yet to be proven in the Marseille context. Will he be able to handle the immense pressure of the stadium and the mental demands of De Zerbi's system? That is the question all the fans are asking. 

His role for the upcoming season is that of an ambitious understudy, a number 2 who has the cards in hand to earn playing time. He is not here to sit on the bench but to push Rulli to his limits. His challenge is to demonstrate to the coach that he can be as reliable and intelligent as the Argentine in short play, while also bringing added value in the long game. If he succeeds, he will be much more than a backup; he will be a true alternative.