AZ Alkmaar has completed the sale of Ibrahim Sadiq to the Colorado Rapids while successfully retaining promising youngster Jayden Smit. The Alkmaar side heads into the coming weeks with a perfect league record of four wins, including a Europa League fixture against Juventus.
Ibrahim Sadiq is leaving AZ after three seasons for a move to Major League Soccer. The Colorado Rapids announced the signing of the 26-year-old Ghanaian winger on Thursday. Sadiq signed a deal that keeps him at the American club until at least the summer of 2028, with an option for a further year. The winger was a regular feature in Alkmaar in recent years and contributed to the KNVB Cup win in the 2025/26 season. In total, he made 85 appearances for AZ, scoring 18 goals and providing seven assists. His departure is part of a major attacking overhaul at the Rapids, who also signed Sayed Abu Farkhi earlier this summer.
Jayden Smit deliberately chose to stay at AZ Alkmaar this summer despite concrete interest from top clubs like Real Madrid. The 20-year-old midfielder indicated in an interview that a conversation with coach Lee-Roy Echteld was decisive. "To be honest, at first I had the feeling that I was going to leave, but then it turned out that the coach really wanted me to stay," Smit said. Smit did not feel ready for a move and appreciated the clarity the club provided. "Ten days ago I had a conversation and then AZ didn't want to let me go anymore." he added. His decision is a boost for AZ, which was keen to keep the youth international after a strong season with five goals and nine assists.
AZ Alkmaar has started the new Eredivisie season excellently and leads the table with twelve points from four matches. Lee-Roy Echteld's team has won all its games, scoring thirteen times while conceding only three goals. With this perfect run, AZ holds a two-point lead over second-placed PSV Eindhoven. The current standings can be followed on our standings page. That strong form was also evident in the last league match against Go Ahead Eagles on August 29th. AZ won 2-1 thanks to a brace from striker Daal. AZ dominated the match with 51% possession and 18 shots, nine of which were on target. The next league test is the away fixture against sc Heerenveen on Sunday, September 6th. The full schedule is available in the fixtures.
In the UEFA Europa League, AZ Alkmaar faces a challenging group stage including fixtures against Juventus. The first meeting with the Italian giants is scheduled for November 5th. Later in November, on the 27th, a match against Sparta Prague follows. These games will be an important benchmark for the team currently performing so strongly domestically. Echteld's squad is deep enough to compete on multiple fronts, as shown by the current squad composition. Retaining Smit and promoting other youth players is key for this dual campaign. The coming weeks will reveal if AZ can live up to the high expectations, both nationally and internationally. AZ Alkmaar travels to Friesland on Sunday for the match against Heerenveen, who are eleventh in the table.
