OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Juventus sign Dean Huijsen to contract extension

Around the time his 18th birthday arrived back in mid-April, the reports came down that Juventus Next Gen starlet Dean Huijsen was ready to sign a long-term contract extension. If things went right, it was the kind of deal that would see him rise to the senior level with plenty of time to spare before his next potential new contract.

A few months later, that deal became official.

Juventus announced Friday that the 18-year-old Huijsen, a 6-foot-5 central defender with plenty of talent to spare, has signed a contract extension through 2027. It is one of the longest contract extensions that the club has given out to one of their Next Gen talents, and especially one of the longest to somebody so young that is in the youth ranks. But it’s clearly a sign of just how much the Juventus talent evaluation team rate the young Dutchman and how they view him as a potential first team player who will continue his rise over the next few years and break into the senior squad.

Also Friday, Juventus announced a contract extension with another youth team standout, 18-year-old midfielder Joseph Nonge, who signed through 2026.

Ah, there’s the announcement many of us have been waiting for. Surely Dean has, too. Even though you gotta believe the kid probably signed it before going off on holiday and this was announced at a time much more convenient to Juventus. But I digress.

Huijsen is very much one that is rocketing through the upper levels of the Juventus youth ranks since being signed from Malaga in 2021. He started the 2022-23 season with Juve’s primavera squad only to be promoted to the Next Gen team to get a few months worth of experience in Serie C in the spring. He’s already been looked at as one of the youngsters who will be a part of the traveling squad for the preseason tour in the United States come late July. If all goes well there, then he could very well be in a position to be like Samuel Iling-Junior or Enzo Barrenechea where he gets a handful of a call-ups to the senior team when more depth is needed only to be permanently promoted later on in the season.

No matter what, though, Huijsen is very much one of the biggest names that Juve supporters are paying attention to for the future. And, apparently, the immediate future, too.

The good thing of all is that he’s not going anywhere for a while if this contract extension is any sort of indication. That’s a good thing. That’s a very good thing.