Maccabi Haifa Signs Dutch Defender Nigel Lonwijk for €500,000

Maccabi Haifa has officially signed 23-year-old Dutch defender Nigel Lonwijk, marking the club's sixth acquisition this summer. The Israeli Premier League team secured Lonwijk from English club Wolverhampton Wanderers by paying a transfer fee of €500,000. Lonwijk, who is of Surinamese descent, spent his youth career at PSV Eindhoven before moving to Wolverhampton, where he was loaned out to several clubs including Fortuna Sittard, Plymouth Argyle, Wycombe Wanderers, and most recently Luton Town.

During the last season, Lonwijk made 45 appearances and scored two goals for Luton Town in England's third division. He also participated in Wolverhampton's preseason training before finalizing the move to Haifa. The signing was announced on July 24, 2026, and Lonwijk is expected to join Barak Bachar's squad at the Carmel Stadium. The club's management highlighted Lonwijk's hunger to succeed as a key reason for the acquisition. Alongside Lonwijk, Maccabi Haifa has also signed Omri Glazer, Yair Mordechai, Tsunami, Bruninho, and Andrea Novakovic this summer.