Welcome back to the thirteenth player to be featured in the "Names from the Past" series of articles. This series features various that have played in the red and white stripes over the club's illustrious history. Of course, it would be easy to profile the standard fare of the likes of a Niall Quinn, Jermain Defoe or Kevin Phillips but when so many players have appeared for us I'd rather feature a player who has his own place in the club annals. We're moving closer towards the present day with this selection, a defender that featured in the 2019-2020 season under Jack Ross....Belgian left back Laurens De Bock.
Laurens De Bock was born in the Flemish city of Dendermonde in East Flanders in November 1991, and after spending his early football with HO Kalken and the now defunct Standaard Wetteren: he joined the then province's main football team: Lokeren at the age of 11 in the North East of the province. He made his first team debut whilst still at the age of just 16. That debut season, 2009-10, saw De Bock make just five appearances but became a first team regular for the Tricolores for the next three seasons . In his third season at Lokeren, De Bock was an integral part as the side won the 2012 Belgian FA Cup and qualified for the following season's Europa League which they suffered a very early exit from on away goals.
By this time, De Bock had also become a regular for the Belgian Under 21 side and was attracting the attentions of bigger clubs in his homeland. Speculation was linking him with a move to Anderlecht, but De Bock chose to join Club Brugge in the 2013 winter transfer window for a fee of 3.5 million Euros. He would finish the season with Brugge and become a regular in the next three campaigns, winning his second Belgian FA Cup winners medal in 2015 and the following season a league title and the Belgian version of the Community Shield. After 177 appearances for Brugge, De Bock was on the move again in the 2018 winter transfer window with Leeds United, then of the Championship, for an undisclosed fee on a four and a half year contract. He would only feature in seven matches for the West Yorkshire side before dropping well out of the first team picture.
He started the 2018-19 season as Leeds fourth choice left back, surprising considering his pedigree. Needing first team action, Leeds loaned him out for the season. After turning down a move to Israel and Beitar Jerusalem, De Bock was back in familiar surroundings: the Belgium top flight but this time with KV Oostende. He made 20 appearances for the West Flanders side, scoring one in the league and one in the cup as Oostende avoided the drop. Amongst his team-mates there were striker Fashion Sakala who would have a spell at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and central defender Wout Faes who is a mainstay in the Leicester City defence these days. With games under his belt, De Bock was hoping that this might force him in Marcelo Bielsa's plans for 2019-20. As it was, he wasn't and SAFC took him on a season long loan deal on the final day of the summer window for that season. On joining SAFC De Bock said:
"I am very happy to be here because I have heard a lot of good things about the club. I’ve spoken to other Belgians who have played here, and they’ve all spoken very highly about the place. I know the team wants to go up this season and hopefully my experience will help us achieve that. The manager has been really positive in the conversations I’ve had with him and that’s given me a great feeling because I know they believe in me."
He made his debut for SAFC in a League Cup tie at Bramall Lane, which we won 1-0 thanks to a Max Power effort. His league debut would come three days later when we hosted MK Dons at the SoL and won 2-1 in front of almost 30000 fans. However, De Bock would go off injured in the 54th minute and after just ten appearances by the end of the year, he was back at Leeds. Much to the delight of most Sunderland fans. Leeds swiftly sent him out on loan once more, this time to ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Eredivisie. He would make a mere eight appearances for the Dutch side in that time.
About a year later, Sunderland went back to Leeds in search of another full back where we signed young Niall Huggins on a free transfer with sell ons and the usual stuff all agreed. Despite his injury troubles it's fair to say Huggins was a far superior transfer than De Bock.
Realising he had no future at Leeds or in England, he was out on loan again for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 and back in Belgian football. Destination this time was West Flanders side Zulte Waregem in both cases since he was completely frozen out at Elland Road. During his two year loan spell he became captain during his second campaign though the highlight of his time there will no doubt be his late winner against KAS Eupen with a well worked set piece. In his second season he only just managed to stay in the Belgian First Division, avoiding the drop by 4 points.
As he returned to West Yorkshire at the end of that second loan spell, Leeds decided not to offer him a new deal and gave him a free transfer where he ended up going back to Zulte Waregem for a third time. Two months into his time at Waregem, on a permanent deal with an option for another year, he left on a free transfer again and was off to Greece to play for Atromitos.
Since heading east to join Atromitos in the Greek top division on a two-year contract he would get first team football again with the Athens based side and make 61 appearances before being released in the summer. In those 61 games, he picked up an astonishing 16 yellow cards and 1 red, maybe this is why they got rid of him? Anyway at the age of 31, he is now looking for a new home to ply his footballing trade but I highly doubt he’ll be high on the priority list for many clubs and with the season having already begun, it looks more likely that an early retirement is on the cards.
Comments