I was certainly one of those who was surprised when it was announced that Koen Kostons would be joining PEC Zwolle. The Dutch forward had just come off of a barren spell in Belgium with Kortrijk. After joining the struggling Pro League side in January, Kostons had failed to have any impact in his 13 games as he provided just one assist and no goals. Kortrijk were relegated and clearly Kostons was not going to be coming back to help them fight for promotion.
Fast forward a few months, Kostons is now enjoying a purple patch of form in the Eredivisie for PEC Zwolle. The 26=year-old scored his sixth goal in 10 games at the weekend as his side drew 2-2 at home to NEC Nijmigen. The striker has now scored four goals in his past five games, as well as grabbing one assist. He is just one goal away from scoring as many goals in one season as he managed to score in 32 games for Bundesliga 2 side Paderborn.
Kostons had joined the German side after finding form in the Dutch second tier for MVV Maastricht. During the 2022/2023 season the striker had a breakout campaign for the side as he scored 10 goals in 37 games. However, what really caught the eye was his ability to create for his teammates. The striker ended that season with an impressive 19 assists. The following season he appeared to be on a similar trajectory, with nine goals and six assists in 21 games. This prompted Paderborn to sign Kostons, who played 17 games at the back end of the 2023/2024 campaign. Kostons scored four goals for Paderborn, but after just three the following season he was sent out on loan to Kortrijk.
Kostons is a clear example of how important finding the right club can be for any player. Clearly, Dutch football suits Kostons more than Belgian or German football did. This has been great news for PEC Zwolle, who managed to pick up Kostons cheaply and have now found a player who looks set to provide them double digits in terms of goals for the season. For a side in their third season back in the Eredivisie following relegation in 2022, this could be the difference between relative safety and a relegation battle. Kostons has already scored more than half of their goals this season, so the side will be praying that he can remain injury free for the majority of the campaign.
GBeNeFNย |ย Ben Jackson
