Experienced Dutch defender Joël Veltman made the move to West Ham United in August 2026.

A natural leader, Veltman played over 450 games at the highest level for Ajax and Brighton & Hove Albion, including more than 50 in European competitions and 165 in the Premier League. He wore the captain's armband for both clubs.

Veltman won three Eredivisie titles and reached the UEFA Europa League final with Ajax, then had six successful seasons with Brighton. Capped 28 times by the Netherlands, Veltman helped his country reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals in 2014 and featured at UEFA Euro 2020.

2026/27

Made his West Ham United debut as a substitute in a 2-2 EFL Championship draw at Burnley on 16 August 2026...Registered his first assist on his first start in a 4-1 Carabao Cup second-round win at Southampton on 25 August 2026...Made his first EFL Championship start in a 1-1 draw at Watford on 29 August 2026...Registered his second assist in a 3-2 EFL Championship victory at Bolton Wanderers on 8 September 2026.

Career

Before West Ham

Born in the northwestern Dutch port town of IJmuiden on 15 January 1992...Started his football career at historic local amateur club VV IJmuiden...Joined Ajax’s world-famous De Toekomst Youth Academy at the age of nine in 2001...Part of the Netherlands squad which reached the final of the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Championship...Scored his first international goal for Netherlands U19s, a last-minute equaliser, in a 1-1 friendly draw in France in February 2011...Earned nine caps for the U20s and one for Netherlands B in a friendly win over Türkiye in May 2012...Played for Ajax U19s in the NextGen Series final against Inter Milan U19s at Leyton Orient FC in 2012...Made his senior debut for Ajax in a 6-1 Dutch Eredivisie win at NEC Nijmegen on 19 August 2012, aged 20...Became a regular first-team squad member in 2012/13 and won the Eredivisie title, then helped Ajax retain the title the following season...Named in the Eredivisie Team of the Year in three consecutive seasons between 2013-16...Started the 2017 UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United in Stockholm, then helped Ajax win the Dutch domestic double in 2018/19...Made 246 senior appearances for Ajax, including wins over AZ Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven in the Johan Cruyff Shield in 2013 and 2019 respectively...Made his senior debut for the Netherlands on 19 November 2013, aged 21, keeping a clean sheet in a goalless friendly international draw with Colombia in Amsterdam...Appeared twice at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil, in the Netherlands’ 5-1 group-stage win over Spain and 3-0 victory over the host nation in the third-place play-off...Won his 28th and final cap for his country in a group-stage victory over Ukraine at the COVID-delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in Amsterdam...Appeared in 53 UEFA competition matches for Ajax - 30 in the UEFA Champions League and 23 in the UEFA Europa League...Featured ten times in Ajax’s run to the 2017 Europa League final, appearing in wins over Panathinaikos, Standard Liège, Celta Vigo, Legia Warsaw, Copenhagen and Schalke, and starting the final against Manchester United...Was part of the Ajax side that defeated Benfica, AEK Athens, Real Madrid and Juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2018/19...Joined Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2020 for just £900,000, after the Seagulls activated a release clause in his contract with Ajax...Wore the No34 shirt throughout his time at Brighton in tribute to his former Ajax teammate Abdelhak Nouri, who had collapsed during a friendly match in 2017 and suffered severe brain damage...Made 191 appearances for Brighton across six seasons, including 165 in the Premier League, and scored five goals...Started for Brighton & Hove Albion in Europa League group-stage wins over his former club Ajax, AEK Athens and Marseille in 2023/24.

Honours

Club Honours

Ajax

Eredivisie (2012/13, 2013/14, 2018/19) KNVB Cup (2019) Johan Cruyff Shield (2013, 2019)

Individual Honours

Eredivisie Team of the Year (2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17)