League leader PSV was the most active of the Dutch football clubs in the latest transfer period, which ended at midnight last night. In total, the Dutch premier division clubs added almost 50 new players to their selection pools.

Eindhoven’s PSV led the way, making four new signings and letting six players go. But the club’s efforts to buy Spanish striker Albert Luque from Britain’s Newcastle failed at the last minute. ‘It is a real shame, we had a deal with Newcastle but the chairman was against it,’
PSV’s Stan Valckx told the De Telegraaf.
Third-placed AZ added four players – including FC Nante’s Moroccan international Nourdin Boukhari. The Alkmaar club said goodbye to five, among them Martijn Meerdink who has been on the bench recently and is now heading for FC Groningen in a last-minuted deal.
Amsterdam’s Ajax – currently second in the league – made the most noteworthy transfers. As well as the widely reported return of Edgar Davids from Tottenham Hotspur in the UK, Brazil’s Leonardo (currently with NAC Breda) will also rejoin Ajax.