NEC have signed Mitchel Bakker for the rest of the season, the club have announced through their official channels. After this campaign, the Nijmegen side have a unilateral option to extend the contract by a year.
The 26-year-old Bakker was a free agent after leaving Atalanta in the summer. The left-back and left midfielder, who can also fill in at centre-back, has already been training with NEC in recent weeks during their camp in Estepona, Spain.
Over the past few days, Bakker had also been in Nijmegen and has now formally committed himself to the Europa League participants. The former Netherlands youth international will wear the No.5 shirt at De Goffert.
"Mitchel has played at the highest level, in three major European leagues," technical director Carlos Aalbers said. "He brings that experience to Nijmegen and, moreover, he can be deployed in various positions."
Ajax developed Bakker through their academy, where he made two appearances for the first team. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, before later playing for Bayer Leverkusen, Lille OSC and therefore Atalanta.
Back in 2022, Bakker made the preliminary Netherlands squad for the World Cup. However, then head coach Louis van Gaal did not include him in the final squad. He is still waiting for his senior international debut.
NEC also announced that Bakker is eligible to play immediately. Should coach Dick Schreuder include him straight away, a special match already awaits on Saturday. NEC are due to face his former club Ajax in Amsterdam.