Wesley Hoedt was born in Alkmaar on March 6, 1994.
He first played as a centre-forward or behind the strikers but at 17, since he was tall (1.88), he was put in defence. He started his football career with AZ Alkmaar in 2005 and worked himself up the rank and file to reach his debut in Europa League in the final minutes against PAOK Thessaloniki on December 12, 2013. He played his first game in Eredivisie on April 6. At the end of his contract in the summer of 2015 he signed for Lazio.
His first year for the Biancocelesti was a positive one. Tall, with an excellent shot, he could play the ball but was a bit slow which was Ok when he had Mauricio next to him in a classic 4-4-2. De facto, Wesley was substituting for injured Stefan de Vrij so when the latter came back to play there was less available playing time. At the end of the 2017 season, he asked to be sold to play more. Southampton offered loads of money so Hoedt left to join the premier league.
His experience in England was OK the first year but with the arrival of new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl he basically stopped playing so in January 2019 he was loaned to Celta Vigo in Spain. When he returned, he was loaned again this time to Royal Antwerp for the 2019-20 season. Both clubs had the possibility to buy the player, but neither took up on this possibility.
In 2020 Lazio were looking for a central defender. Luiz Felipe had suffered a serious injury and would be out for some months, manager Simone Inzaghi needed a replacement. Due to the lack of money available, the manager opted to have Hoedt on loan for a season instead of spending on a new signing. The Dutchman did not have a good impact and did not play very well, probably suffering the 3-5-3 which meant a lot more mobility, something Hoedt has never had. It is a mystery to this day why Inzaghi suggested the deal in the first place.
After his year in Rome, he signed for Anderlecht playing regularly in his first year (48 appearances). In January 2023 he was sold to Watford in the Championship. After 63 appearances and 4 goals, in the August of 2024 he signed for Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab.
Wesley Hoedt is not a bad player and in his first year with Lazio did relatively well. The change to three defenders at the back did not really suit him and he suffered, especially the year on loan. Overall, he made 87 appearances for the Biancocelesti (65 in Serie A, 7 in Coppa Italia, 7 in Champions League and 8 in Europa League) with 4 goals (two in Serie A, one in Coppa Italia and one in Europa League).
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League |
2015-16 | 35 (1) | 25 | 2 | - | 8 (1) |
2016-17 | 26 (3) | 23 (2) | 3 (1) | - | - |
2020-21 | 26 | 17 | 2 | 7 | - |
Total | 87 (4) | 65 (2) | 7 (1) | 7 | 8 (1) |
Sources
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