Peter Leeuwenburgh says he is not surprised to have penned a deal that will see him return to his native Netherlands after signing for FC Groningen.
The Dutch club signed the 27-year-old goalkeeper from DSTV Premiership club Cape Town City and has penned a two-year contract with an option for another two.
Leeuwenburgh played as a junior at Ajax Amsterdam but after his career failed to take off, he decided to move elsewhere and spent the past three seasons at the PSL club.
“It is a really nice move for me. After three years in South Africa, I’m really keen to take the next step back in Europe. Netherlands was not a must but it very nice to go there,” he told the Dutch football magazine Voetbal International.
“Not so much. Over the last years, there has been some interest in me from the Eredivisie. I understand that it might be a surprise for some, but for me it doesn’t come out of the blue.”
“The game is a lot different to Europe. It is much more physical, and the players are a bit older than you would find in the Netherlands, but I’ve grown enormously in South Africa. I played almost all the games for three straight years and in my private life I’ve had a really good time.”
Leeuwenburgh became a father last year during the Covid-19 lockdown when his first child was born in Capetown.
“The adventure actually could not have gone any better,” he added.
Groningen’s technical director Mark-Jan Fledderus settled for Leeuwenburgh after Sergio Padt decided he would leave at the end of the season.
“I heard about his interest at the end of January,” added Leeuwenburgh. “They then started following my performances and with time it became more serious. At the end of March, it suddenly picked up quickly when Fledderus decided to come to South Africa to watch me firsthand. That also went well.”
Leeuwenburgh also added that he is focused on the final weeks of the season before returning to his home country. “I’ve had a magnificent time and I want to finish it off properly. But I’m also really excited to get things going in Groningen.”
In his three-year stint at Cape Town City, Leeuwenburgh has so far featured 88 times in total, conceding 102 goals and keeping 29 clean sheets.