Everton have confirmed in their 2019/20 retained list that Maarten Stekelenburg will leave at the end of his contract. The 37-year-old will return to his former club Ajax after four years at Goodison Park. Stekelenburg spent the campaign providing cover for Jordan Pickford in goal and would have found himself behind Jonas Lossl and Joao Virginia next season if retained, so his departure isn’t a surprise.
The Dutch international joined Everton for £900k from Fulham in 2016 and has gone on to make 26 appearances in all competitions, conceding 31 goals and keeping seven clean sheets. Stekelenburg’s last outing in an Everton shirt came in their EFL Cup defeat to Southampton in October 2, 2018, so he’s been on the periphery for some time.
The 37-year-old has spent the last two years on the bench or out of the matchday squad, so a parting of ways will be mutual. Stekelenburg is in the eve of his career and hasn’t played a lot of football, so the idea of more bench duty before retirement isn’t appealing.
It remains to be seen what his role will be back at Ajax, but he’s signed a one-year deal with the Dutch giant and will surely hope for more opportunities in 2020/21.