Brighton & Hove Albion smash record transfer fee to land Propper Dutchman

The Albion have smashed their record transfer fee, set only a few weeks ago with the capture of Maty Ryan, and have doubled it to £10 million with the signing of Dutch international Davy Propper earlier today (Monday 7 August).

The 25-year-old has played more than 250 senior games in his homeland, including Champions League and international appearances, and scored 43 goals from midfield.

Davy Propper – Picture courtesy of BHAFC / Paul Hazlewood

He helped PSV win the league title in his first full season at the club in 2015-16 after signing from Vitesse Arnhem.

Albion manager Chris Hughton said: “Davy is a player with great experience of the Eredivisie with Vitesse Arnhem and PSV Eindhoven.

“There is no doubting his pedigree, Davy has played a number of matches in the Champions League for PSV, as well as international football for the Netherlands.

“He’s a strong competitor as a central midfielder and will complement our existing midfield players and he is also a really good age at 25. We are absolutely delighted to welcome him to the club.”

Born in Arnhem, 6ft 1in Propper began his career with his hometown team Vitesse Arnhem, making his debut in 2010.

He played more than 150 times for the top-flight Dutch side and appeared for them in the Europa League before securing a move to PSV in 2015.

First called up by the national team in 2013, Propper won his first international cap against the USA in June 2015 and has won five caps in all, the most recent against Ghana earlier this year.

He has also represented the Netherlands at under-19 and under-21 level. His two brothers Robin and Mike are also professional footballers, with Heracles and FC Den Bosch respectively.

Propper is expected to make his debut in Albion’s eagerly awaited first Premier League match at home to Manchester City this Saturday 12 August.