The life of Wesley Hoedt, a born and bred dutchman, started out in the football world at the tender age of 19. Tall and imposing at 6ft 3in (1.92m) and 12st 12lb (82kg), he signed for AZ, an Eredivisie club in his home nation in July 2013. Spending two seasons there, he made 25 appearances and netted 2 goals.
In July 2015, Hoedt expanded his horizons and fetched up at Lazio, a Serie A club in Italy, following a tidy transfer fee of around £450k. With three non-consecutive seasons under his belt at Lazio, he amassed a total of 65 appearances, reprising his AZ role by scoring two goals during his tenure.
Having made his mark in Italy, Hoedt was nabbed by Southampton, a Premier League outfit in England, in August 2017. The substantial price tag of £14m saw him spend a little over a year there, during which he clocked up 41 appearances.
A series of loans then ensued for Hoedt, firstly to Celta Vigo in LaLiga, Spain in January 2019 where he was limited to just ten appearances. Post Spain, it was off to Belgium with Royal Antwerp in the Pro League in September 2019 where he featured in 21 matches.
After his Belgian stint, a return to Italy was in order, with a loan back to Lazio in October 2020. During that season he added a further 17 appearances to his tally.
Hoedt's final departure from Southampton occurred in July 2021. He was snapped up by Anderlecht in Belgium, where no fee was disclosed. It was here that he really showcased his skills, making 47 appearances over two seasons and also finding the back of the net once.
Two seasons later in January 2023, he saw a return to England, this time with Watford in the Championship, acquired with a fee of about £1.8m. Over two seasons, Hoedt, truly centre stage, made an impressive 59 appearances and scored an applaudably high, for a defender, five goals.
His latest adventure saw him in August 2024 join Al-Shabab, a Saudi Arabian side competing in the Professional League. Though it's still early days in his current 2024-2025 season, he has already featured in 5 matches, and has given his team a goal to boot.
