Anis Hadj Moussa Returns to Feyenoord Squad for Champions League Clash
Anis Hadj Moussa is back in from the cold. The transfer saga is over. Now comes Camp Nou.
Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst confirmed that the Algerian winger has been restored to the squad and will travel to Spain for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, drawing a line under days of turbulence around his future.
From late arrivals to a late reprieve
Hadj Moussa sat out Saturday’s league win over NEC after turning up late twice, with Van Bronckhorst openly admitting the 24-year-old’s “head was not in the game.” The distraction was clear: a multi-million euro move to Saudi side Al-Ittihad, only for the deal to collapse when the club failed to lodge a required bank guarantee.
What followed was damage control — and accountability.
Speaking at Feyenoord’s pre-match press conference in Spain, Van Bronckhorst detailed how Hadj Moussa faced his team-mates on the training pitch on Tuesday and owned his mistakes. The winger addressed the group himself, an important step before being welcomed back into the fold.
“He addressed the group on the training pitch,” Van Bronckhorst said. “It was serious and occasionally met with a laugh from the squad. It was a good way to put this behind us.”
The coach did not gloss over the issue. He labelled Hadj Moussa’s behaviour around matchdays unacceptable, but made it equally clear that the response once the window shut hit the right notes.
Page turned, spotlight on Barcelona
With the Saudi offer gone, Van Bronckhorst said Hadj Moussa “turned the page” and re-focused. Now the winger has the stage every attacking player craves.
“There is no better match for him to let his feet do the talking,” the Feyenoord boss added.
Internally, Sunday’s discussions brought closure. Van Bronckhorst stressed that players and staff have moved on together and that Hadj Moussa remains one of his difference-makers, a player capable of deciding big nights — like a Champions League opener at Camp Nou.
The Algerian has resumed full training and is in line to feature against the Spanish giants on Wednesday evening, his reintegration coming just as Feyenoord step onto Europe’s main stage.
Youth, absences and a European reset
The travelling party to Spain also includes 17-year-old Jerayno Schaken, who has been handed a first taste of senior European away days. At the other end of the spectrum, Reiss Nelson misses out through injury, trimming Van Bronckhorst’s attacking options and underlining why Hadj Moussa’s return matters so much.
Feyenoord arrive buoyed by their domestic victory over NEC, intent on carrying that rhythm into the Champions League group phase. The off-field noise that dominated the past week has been parked.
Now, as the lights go up at Camp Nou, Van Bronckhorst’s message is simple: the talking stops, and Hadj Moussa’s response will be measured where it counts most — on the pitch.
