Zechiël Reflects on Lille Transfer Saga: Grateful to Stay at Feyenoord

At the end of August, Gjivai Zechiël seemed to be on his way out of Rotterdam. Lille OSC pushed hard, Feyenoord held firm, and a transfer that looked almost inevitable never happened.

Looking back, the 22-year-old midfielder is anything but bitter.

Lille submitted several offers for Zechiël, with the final bid reportedly climbing to around €17 million including bonuses. Serious money, serious interest.

“That was pretty serious,” Zechiël told Voetbal International. “At that moment, it seemed better for me from a sporting point of view. But looking back, I am grateful and happy that I am here, because I am simply doing well here.”

Feyenoord’s hierarchy made their stance clear. They saw Zechiël as a key figure for the present and the future and did not want to lose him, even for a sizeable fee. When the French club kept knocking, the answer in Rotterdam stayed the same: not for sale.

The player, too, has grown into that decision.

“I feel at home here, and I am grateful to be out on the pitch here. I am happy that I get to play for this club,” he said. “In the end, you grow into the team, you start to understand your role in the team, but also the staff you are dealing with. That is, of course, also an important part of it. The staff and our style of play suit me very well.”

Once the transfer window closed, Feyenoord didn’t waste time. At the start of September, ESPN reporter Sinclair Bischop revealed that the club had reached a verbal agreement with Zechiël on a contract extension, with his current deal already running until mid-2028.

“If everything goes well, that should be possible,” the right-footer now says about finalising the new agreement.

On the pitch, his response to the summer saga has been emphatic. Zechiël has opened the new season in outstanding form: four goals and three assists in Feyenoord’s first six competitive matches.

The move to Lille never materialised. The breakthrough season in Rotterdam very much has.