De Mos says Kwakman far better than Kees Smit at AZ

Aad de Mos, former AZ coach, praises the AZ‑midfielder Dave Kwakman as far superior to the highly‑rated Kees Smit’, calling the latter an absolute top talent yet admitting the Alkmaarders are not title contenders. He also notes a lack of performance pressure at the club and a quiet transfer window for Smit.

De Mos gives very high praise to Dave Kwakman, describing him as an excellent player. He states that the AZ-middenvelder Dave Kwakman is ‘much better’ than Kees Smit, who is regarded as an absolute top talent.

Despite the strong start of the Alkmaarders, De Mos does not view them as title candidates. He believes their season will not challenge for the championship.

Pressure at AZ versus top clubs

De Mos says there is always a lack of performance pressure at AZ, adding, “I always feel at AZ that it may happen, it does not have to.” He mentions compliments from the baker and the butcher, but no supporters when it gets windy on the parking lot.

He contrasts this with PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord, where pressure is constantly present. Those clubs have smaller squads yet still lose points.

De Mos highlights Dave Kwakman as a very good player who will go further than Kees Smit, even better than Smit. He notes the hype around Smit stemmed from his performances with the Netherlands U19 European champions.

He recalls a discussion with Guido Albers about how international broker Jorge Mendes became involved, saying those factors did not help Smit. Mendes was hired last winter to facilitate a future transfer of Smit worth 60 million euros, yet the window has been quiet and Smit currently plays ten instead of eight.