Ouwejan's departure comes after a season in which he played limited minutes for NEC. The club's technical director, Carlos Aalbers, has confirmed that the defender had little prospect of regular playing time in Nijmegen. "Thomas had weinig perspectief op speeltijd in Nijmegen, dus dit is een mooie oplossing voor beide partijen," Aalbers said. Ouwejan has played 40 games for NEC, scoring three goals and providing seven assists. He is set to join Machida Zelvia, the same club that signed Koki Ogawa from NEC earlier in the transfer window. This will be Ouwejan's third foreign adventure, following stints at Schalke 04 and Udinese.