AC Sparta Prague completed its eleventh summer signing by acquiring 24-year-old Dutch right-back Ki-Jana Hoever from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a multi-year deal. The former Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven defender arrives to reinforce Sparta’s defensive depth following European competition exits.
AC Sparta Prague finalized its eleventh summer acquisition by securing Dutch defender Ki-Jana Hoever on a multi-year deal from English club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 24-year-old right-back brings experience from top European leagues to Letná, arriving after a sequence of loan spells that included stints at PSV Eindhoven, Stoke City, AJ Auxerre, and Sheffield United.
Discussions regarding the transfer had lasted for several weeks before the agreement was reached in secret. Sparta pursued the Dutch defender to expand its defensive options following the club’s elimination against Lyon in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
Tomáš Rosický Outlines Expectations for the New Defensive Signing
Sparta sporting director Tomáš Rosický highlighted the physical and technical attributes that the former Ajax and Liverpool academy product brings to the Czech squad.
Sparta sporting director Tomáš Rosický stated that the player brings speed, strength, technical quality, and the courage to play forward to the right side, while noting that he is accustomed to a physical style of play from his previous engagements and is unafraid of duels, expressing belief that he will showcase his great potential at the club and help the team win.
Hoever grew up in the Ajax Amsterdam academy before moving to Liverpool at age sixteen, where he quickly progressed through the youth ranks. Under then-manager Jürgen Klopp, Hoever made his senior professional debut in January 2019 during an FA Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at just 16 years and 354 days old, becoming the youngest player in Liverpool history to feature in the tournament. At the time, it was also the third-youngest appearance by any player in a competitive match for Liverpool. Official club records noted that thanks to calm and confident performances predominantly on the right side of the defense, he quickly climbed through the various categories of the academy. He made a total of four starts for Liverpool and scored one goal in the English cup.
Wolverhampton Departure and Subsequent Loan Spells
In September 2020, Hoever transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee allegedly amounting to 9.8 million euros. During his time in England, where he crossed paths with Czech representative Ladislav Krejčí, he made 28 appearances in the Premier League alongside 30 starts in France’s Ligue 1.
Seeking regular playing time, Hoever spent the last four years on four separate loan assignments across PSV Eindhoven, Stoke City, AJ Auxerre, and most recently the spring portion of the season in the English Championship with Sheffield United, where he played 15 matches without a goal or assist. Having played his last competitive match at the beginning of May, he did not join the team’s preparation because he received permission to look for a new engagement, holding a valid contract only until the end of next June.
Matt Jackson, technical director of Wolverhampton Wanderers, commented on the departure: „V takovém případě se musíte pokusit najít řešení, které bude vyhovovat všem stranám, což se podařilo. Ki byl vždy velký profesionál, takže z něj máme radost a přejeme mu jen to nejlepší. Měl tady spoustu příležitostí, ale nikdy nedokázal přesvědčit žádného z trenérů. Když nemáte pravidelnou herní praxi a nejste v rytmu, je to těžké. Vrátíte se z hostování a nejste úplně součástí týmu, takže tím trpíte. Ki má talent, a tak věříme, že po přesunu do Prahy se svou mladou rodinou se může usadit a ve stabilním prostředí bude lepším hráčem.
Defensive Competition and Sparta’s Summer Transfer Activity
At Sparta, Hoever joins a defensive unit that features Pavel Kadeřábek and Martin Suchomel competing for the right-back position. Both players started the season with a combined total of eight appearances and one assist, while Kadeřábek missed the team’s last two fixtures due to injury.
The arrival of the Dutch defender caps an active summer recruitment window for the Prague club. Hoever represents the eleventh summer addition for Sparta, joining a group of newcomers that includes Jonatan Braut Brunes, Tobias Guddal, Josimar Alcócer, Loic Mbe Soh (an alumnus of Paris Saint-Germain), Roman Macek, Ebrima Singhateh, Krisztián Hegyi, Matěj Jurásek, Viktor Vitályos, and Sivert Mannsverk.
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