ADRIAN LEWIS has warned the PDC not to jump the gun on including Wessel Nijman in the Premier League Darts lineup.
has enjoyed a fantastic year on the ProTour and is provisionally ranked at World No8 once the PDC’s rolling tallies stop counting late 2024’s prize money.
But former world champ Lewis, and fan-favourite pundit Mark Webster, reckon it might be too much too soon for the 26-year-old to be included in the Prem roster next year.
The pair gave their verdict on whether he should be given a spot in conversation with Phill Barrs on SunSport’s Grand Slam of Darts preview show!
When asked whether he had any ideas for players who could make a deep run at the Worlds and put themselves in contention for , Webster put the Dutchman’s name forward.
He answered: “You’re looking for someone like Wessel to cement his spot, finally have a run at the Worlds, or someone like Ross (Smith) cement their spot. I mean, outside that, you just don’t know, do you?
“There will always be a surprise package. I always said it last year, when the money jumped up, someone will be in the quarterfinals, you don’t expect to be there, getting 100 grand.
“It was Justin Hood (who made the run last year), wasn’t it? So someone will do it this year. Justin hasn’t really kicked on as he’d like, but it still changes your life, changes your career. And someone will do that this year.”
Nijman was the biggest earner on the ProTour this year, pocketing £284,500, and taking his total to eight ranking event wins in 2026.
But he has struggled on the biggest stage and is yet to make it to a televised quarter- final, leaving question marks over his readiness if he was to receive a surprise Premier League invite.
Lewis said: “To be fair, I think they should give him another year. If he hasn’t progressed, you know, until then, I think they should probably give him another year.
“Just make sure he gets his confidence right on the TV before they start putting him in, you know, the Premier League anyway. Because it’d ruin a player. It could ruin him.”
Webster poked a bit of fun at his own career, which ended in his late 30s after extensive struggles to find form.
His early rise was brutally halted after he finished dead last in the 2011 Premier League season, after being named as a surprise pick after a hot run of form.
Webster referred to himself when the topic of ruined careers came up, joking: “Exhibit A.”
He then continued: “Look, if he’s not ranked high enough, wherever Michael’s going to be ranked, he’s going to be in anyway. So that rule’s a spot out.
“You’ve just got to take your time on Wessel. He’s got plenty of time.
“My personal experience, I just had a three-month purple patch. They thought, we’ll stick him in. I did it in the right window. If I’d done it in April, they wouldn’t have put me in.
“So they put me in. Look, I wasn’t ready. But you’re going to go, aren’t you?
“It was a tough experience. I got whipped a few times there. And it was tough.
“But for me, it was just recognizing I wasn’t an elite level player. To play those guys week in, week out. You can still go away and make a career, I did that for quite a while, but they have got to time this right.”
