Football : Dutch First Division transfers in 2009/2010 season

Netherlands midfielder Orlando Engelaar has left Schalke and opted to join PSV Eindhoven for an undisclosed fee. The signing reunites the 29-year-old with new PSV coach Fred Rutten, who coached the midfielder at Twente and Schalke. Engelaar, who endured a disappointing season in the Bundesliga following his transfer from Twente last summer, has penned a four-year contract with the Dutch side.

Twente have signed left-back Nicky Kuiper from league rivals Vitesse as a replacement for Edson Braafheid, who joined Bayern Munich last week. The 20-year-old has agreed a five-year deal with Twente, but financial terms were not disclosed. Kuiper, who came through the youth ranks at Vitesse, made 15 league appearances in his first competitive season with the Arnhem side this term.

Heerenveen have completed the transfer of striker Michal Papadopulos from Mlada Boleslav for an undisclosed fee. The Czech Republic international has agreed a five-year contract with the Dutch side. Papadopulos, 24, scored 10 goals in 29 matches for Mlade Boleslav last season, his first campaign since returning home following a spell in Germany, where he played for Bayer Leverkusen and was loaned to Energie Cottbus.

PSV Eindhoven have secured the signature of defender Andre Ooijer on a one-year free transfer deal. The 34-year-old Dutchman will return to his former club after playing his final game for Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, against Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park. Ooijer joined Blackburn from PSV in 2006 for a fee in the region of €3.1m, after spending nine seasons with the Eindhoven club.

PSV Eindhoven have completed the signing of China midfielder Zhou Haibin on a one-year contract. The 23-year-old arrives on a free transfer from Shandong Luneng. Zhou is the second Chinese player to play for PSV after defender Sun Xiang.

AZ Alkmaar have signed Estonian international defender Ragnar Klavan from Heracles. The 23-year-old joins the Dutch league leaders on an initial six-month loan, which will run into a permanent four-year deal when his contract at Heracles expires in the summer. Alkmaar already had an agreement with him for next season, but because of injuries to Hector Moreno and Niklas Moisander they have brought forward the Klavan transfer.

Twente have strengthened their attacking options by signing Nikita Rukavytsya from Perth Glory on a one-and-a-half year contract with the option of a further two-season extension. The 21-year-old Australian, who was born in Ukraine, arrived for an undisclosed fee. Rukavytsya had scored 10 goals in 19 league games this campaign, his third season with Perth.

Nijmegen have secured the services of Denmark forward Dennis Rommedahl on loan from Ajax until the end of the season. Rommedahl, 30, has made only three league appearances this season since the arrival of Marco van Basten as coach. He remains under contract with Ajax until summer 2010. Meanwhile, coach Mario Been has pledged his future to Nijmegen after being linked to the vacant position at Feyenoord.

Swedish striker Ola Toivonen has joined PSV Eindhoven after agreeing a €4.5m move from Malmo. The 22-year-old has signed a contract running until summer 2012, with the option for a further two seasons. Toivonen scored 20 goals in 70 matches after joining Malmo from Orgryte in 2007. Considered one of Sweden's most promising strikers, he has scored nine goals in 19 matches for the country's under-21 team.

Ajax have signed defender Rob Wielaert from league rivals Twente after the Dutch clubs reached an agreement on his transfer. Ajax will pay a fee of €3m for the 30-year-old, according to media reports. Wielaert has agreed a contract tying him to the Amsterdam giants until June 2011, with Ajax also having the option to extend the deal by a further season.

De Graafschap have secured the services of striker Ben Sahar on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season. The 19-year-old Israeli international spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Portsmouth but he did not have the opportunity to impress. He also had loans spells at Queens Park Rangers an Sheffield Wednesday. De Graafschap are currently languishing in 17th place in the Dutch league and Sahar will want to help fire them up the table.