Bristol City dipped into the Dutch transfer market in summer 2019 to acquire the services of young defender Vita van Der Linden.
The 22-year-old joined The Robins from Dutch Eredivisie club Ajax after spending four years in their senior ranks.
Bristol City fans were excited to see what Van der Linden would bring to both their team and the Barclays FA Women’s Super League but her career in England never really got off the ground. Van der Linden made her Bristol City debut on the opening day of the 2019/2020 season as The Robins drew 0-0 with Brighton & Hove Albion at Ashton Gate but she was never seen again in the league after that outing.
Van der Linden was given game time in Bristol City’s three FA Women’s Continental League Cup games. She netted her only goal for the club as they won 5-2 at second tier side Charlton Athletic.
The Dutch youth international’s Bristol City career came to an end in the 2019/2020 January transfer window when she made the switch to Stade de Reims. She made a couple of appearances for the French club before the 2019/2020 season was curtailed by the Coronavirus pandemic but she was more influential last season, appearing in 18 of Stade de Reims’ 22 Division 1 fixtures as they recorded a respectable sixth place finish.
Last summer saw Van der Linden return home to her native Netherlands with the player rejoining Ajax. Van der Linden has been a regular starter for the Dutch club who find themselves top of the Eredivisie table after 12 games. The defender looks like she will be a key player in the Dutch top flight in the coming years as the league continues to go from strength-to-strength.
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