DistantNews
Support us
🇭🇷 Croatia /Economy & Trade

Dendoncker and Martin were the best players Hajduk could find on the market

From Večernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources New plan
  • Hajduk Split signed Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker through 2028 and brought in Spanish forward Carlos Martín on a one-year loan.
  • Dendoncker, who has made 152 Premier League appearances and won a 2018 World Cup bronze medal, is expected to strengthen Hajduk’s defensive midfield.
  • His fitness remains a concern after he last played in February and later experienced muscle problems, but the club considers his underlying quality exceptional for the Croatian league.

Hajduk Split completed what the club’s supporters will see as an extraordinary double signing, confirming Leander Dendoncker and Carlos Martín in the late hours between Wednesday and Thursday. Sporting director Robert Graf received strong praise for completing both deals in the transfer market’s final stretch.

Dendoncker signed until 2028, while the 24-year-old Martín joined on a one-year loan. The Belgian midfielder arrives with a résumé rarely seen in the Croatian top flight: 152 Premier League appearances and a bronze medal from the 2018 World Cup. No player in HNL history had previously arrived with that many Premier League appearances. Nikica Jelavić came closest, with 114 games for Hull City, Everton and West Ham, but he joined Lokomotiva at 35, near the end of his playing career.

That comparison sets Dendoncker apart from several foreign veterans who came to Croatian football after their best years had clearly passed. Hajduk’s new signing built his strongest reputation between 2018 and 2024, when he regularly performed at a high level for Wolverhampton and Aston Villa. He also made 43 appearances for Anderlecht the season before last and played 19 matches for Real Oviedo last season.

Hajduk needs Dendoncker primarily as a defensive midfielder, although he can also play at center-back. His positional intelligence, strength in duels, running ability and reliable passing made him a regular in the Premier League under Nuno Espírito Santo. At Wolverhampton, he even held an advantage over Vitinha, who now directs Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield and is regarded as one of the world’s leading players.

The main reservation concerns Dendoncker’s physical condition. He last played for Real Oviedo in Spain’s top division in February, and Graf said he would need time to regain peak competitive fitness. Reports have also mentioned muscle problems and a possible operation. Even so, Hajduk appears to have found a major reinforcement without paying a transfer fee, precisely for the position the squad most needed to fill.

He will need time to reach optimal competitive form.

· Robert GrafHajduk’s sporting director discussed Dendoncker’s fitness after his long absence from competitive matches.
About this summary

Originally published by Večernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog