Putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal at the Amex, the Netherlands international arrived on the south coast after an impressive time at the Johan Cruyff Arena, winning the Dutch top-flight on three separate occasions and the KNVB Cup.

As well as that, the club finished runners-up in the Europa League, reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, whilst Veltman also picked up a third place World Cup medal in 2014.

Having come through the ranks with Ajax, the 30-year-old played for Holland all the way through from Under-17 level up to Under-20, before making his senior debut in 2013.

He scored his only two international goals for the Oranje in the same game - a 5-0 win over the Ivory Coast in 2017. He has now played 28 times for his country, including an appearance at Euro 2020 in a 3-2 win over Ukraine.

With nearly 250 club appearances to his name prior to joining Albion, Veltman was named in the Eredivisie Team of the Season for three consecutive years between 2013-16, before suffering a serious knee injury in April 2018. He made his return to first team action in February 2019.

The Dutchman impressed in his first year with Albion, demonstrating his ability both going forward and defensively, making 34 Premier League appearances.

He would continue to be an ever-present for Albion throughout our record breaking 2021/22 season, as we finished in a then club record ninth place in the top-flight, making 37 appearances.

Joel surpassed the 100 appearance mark for Albion in the 2022/23 season, featuring in 31 Premier League matches as we finished sixth in the Premier League, qualifying for European competition for the first time.