Dutch central defender Daan Klomp on trial at Adelaide United

Adelaide United wants to further its hopes of winning the A-League title by adding another Dutch defender to its ranks.

A-League title contenders Adelaide United are poised to bolster their squad with the signing of a second Dutch defender, Daan Klomp.

Ahead of Wednesday night’s top-of-the table clash against Auckland FC at Coopers Stadium, the Reds have been trialling 26-year-old Klomp, who has spent the past four years at Canadian outfit Cavalry FC.

Should the Reds complete the signing of Klomp, he will join countryman Bart Vriends in the club’s defensive ranks.

The acquisition of former Sparta Rotterdam centre-back Vriends has added some much-needed composure to Adelaide’s defence, and also aided the development of teenager Panagiotis Kikianis.

With Kikianis set to miss some A-League matches due to upcoming duties with the Young Socceroos at the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup, Klomp’s potential signing will give the Reds another option in the heart of their defence.

The extended squad for our Inaugural Auckland FC Clash is in 🙌

Details → https://t.co/UxaAThkj0lpic.twitter.com/ebboIcharC

— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) January 21, 2025

“He’s a strong central defender,” Adelaide coach Carl Veart said of Klomp.

“We’re always looking. Young ‘Pana’ will miss a lot of games coming up being with the national (under-20) team, so we need to make sure we’ve got players in place if needed.

“We’ve brought him (Klomp) in to have a good look at him, and for him to have a good look at this environment as well, because it is very different.

“We’ll give him a little bit of time to settle in, and … we’ll see if it’s the right fit for the club.”

Confidence is high in the Adelaide camp after the Reds’ 3-2 home weekend win over Melbourne Victory.

A win over Auckland would move Veart’s team four points clear of the Black Knights at the top of the ladder.

“It’s going to be a big game, similar to Saturday, with a lot of pressure,” the Reds boss said.

“We’ve been working on this, and Auckland is a very good side, and defensively well-organised.

“It’s going to be a big battle, and we need every player to stand up. We’re just coming up to the halfway mark (of the season) now, so there’s still a lot of work to go, but we’re very happy with how we’ve performed to this point.”

🔝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡!

This one is going to be HUGE.

🎟️→ https://t.co/Grxa3DtJzGpic.twitter.com/RGUKkl1V7x

— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) January 19, 2025

Veart said it was important the Reds started the match at a high tempo to capitalise on any potential fatigue in an Auckland side that played in New Zealand on Saturday before flying to Adelaide on Monday.

“It’s a long trip from Auckland to here, and they had the short turnaround, same as us. so it’s crucial for us to make sure that we play with good tempo and keep the pressure on,” he said.

“It’s important, especially against a side that works as hard as Auckland, that we’re fresh. We’ve tried to freshen up all the players from the Victory game.”

Originally published as Dutch central defender Daan Klomp on trial at Adelaide United