Tonny Vilhena Returns to Eredivisie with Willem II

Tonny Vilhena is on his way back to the Eredivisie. Not to De Kuip this time, but to newly promoted Willem II.

According to VI, the 31-year-old former Netherlands international is poised to join the Tilburg club from Panathinaikos, ending a restless spell abroad and dropping straight into a survival fight with a side determined to stay in the top flight.

For Willem II, it is a statement move. For Vilhena, it is a full-circle moment.

From Feyenoord prodigy to seasoned journeyman

Vilhena grew up in Rotterdam and came through the Feyenoord academy, breaking into the first team as a teenager and staying long enough to become part of the furniture. He played 258 games for the club, scoring 41 goals and establishing himself as a dynamic, goal-threatening midfielder.

In 2019 he left Dutch football behind, opting for a new challenge in Russia with Krasnodar. There he added 79 appearances and nine goals to his record, building a reputation as a reliable, box-to-box presence.

January 2022 brought another turn. Vilhena moved to Spain, joining Espanyol on loan before the deal became permanent that summer. The Dutchman swapped Russian winters for La Liga, another shift in a career that rarely stood still.

A tour of Europe – and a stalled spell in Greece

After a season on loan in Italy with Salernitana, Vilhena headed to Greece in the summer of 2023, signing for Panathinaikos. He featured regularly, clocking up 44 games for the Athens club and adding experience in yet another league.

The 2024/2025 campaign sent him out again, this time on a six‑month loan to Turkish side Alanyaspor. He played 15 times there and scored twice, showing he still carried a goal threat from midfield.

But when he returned to Panathinaikos, the door had effectively closed. He was used only three times last season and quickly slipped into the “surplus to requirements” category.

Willem II gamble on experience

That situation has opened the way for Willem II. Fresh from promotion and facing the brutal reality of an Eredivisie season where one bad run can drag you straight back down, they have turned to a player who knows the league inside out.

Vilhena arrives with more than 400 senior club appearances behind him, experience in Russia, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey, and a history of delivering goals from midfield. Willem II need stability, bite, and personality in the centre of the pitch. Vilhena needs a home and minutes.

Both sides know exactly what is at stake: survival for the club, a genuine reboot for the player.