Derensili Sanches Fernandes reveals what convinced him to join Huddersfield Town

It was a big call for the 25-year-old to leave his hometown club Excelsior Rotterdam

Huddersfield Town’s latest signing, Derensili Sanches Fernandes, says he felt the trust of the top figures within the club, which convinced him to join.

It was a big call for the 25-year-old to leave his hometown club Excelsior Rotterdam following a couple of successful seasons with them after returning from FC Utrecht in 2023.

He has registered 29 goal involvements from the right flank in the last two campaigns, helping Excelsior return to the Eredivisie and consolidate themselves back in the Dutch top flight last term.

Still, the chance to come to English football and try to help a recent top-flight club in Huddersfield return to prominence was too appealing to turn down after receiving the backing of those within the organisation.

Fernandes said: “I’m really excited to be here. I have received positive feedback from my conversations here, and I’ve felt a sense of trust in myself, which has led me to come here. I know this is a big club that played in the Premier League.

“I love one-vs-ones, creating, and beating my opponents. The chemistry I have with Ilias [Bronkhorst] is always there, and it makes it easier to play. I’m excited to start.”

Fernandes owes a lot to his boyhood club of Excelsior for getting him to this point, giving him the opportunity to properly establish himself as a professional after not getting that chance at Utrecht.

After switching to the latter in 2020 as a youth player, he spent most of his three years there with their second team, making just three first-team appearances before his release, but that experience did much to shape him as a player.

The Dutch winger explained: “It was really tough [at Utrecht] because they are a club that are always signing new players in the summer and winter, but I still managed to break through and make my professional debut there.

“I didn’t end up getting a contract there, but [Excelsior] came back for me, and I was really happy that they did because I was a lot more comfortable there with it being my hometown club.

“I felt much more supported there at the club and in the city around more people that I knew, and that helped me to progress on the pitch and play with more confidence.”

His performances for Excelsior in recent years have shown how destructive his pace and skill in possession can be when used correctly and a consistent goal creations and scoring output is what Huddersfield will hope for from a player entering his prime years physically.

On Fernandes, Huddersfield sporting director Chris Markham noted: “A really ambitious signing, Derens has fielded interest from across Europe this summer after his performances for Excelsior last season, but his decision to join us here in HD1 really speaks to how much he connected to Huddersfield Town and the team we want to become going forward.

“An attack-minded winger who loves to go forward but isn’t shy of mucking in when needed either, his attitude, pace, physicality and robustness are all characteristics that immediately appealed to us.

“Having not long celebrated his 25th birthday, Derens is entering the most exciting years of his career and has shown the ability and want to improve his game in consecutive seasons.

“Exactly the type of player on paper that Town fans of all generations have always enjoyed watching, we’re hopeful that he’ll continue to shine in West Yorkshire and deliver on the promise we believe he has.”