Gijselhart joined the Galician club from De Graafschap, in the Dutch second tier, for a fee in the region of €1 million, having been strongly linked with A Coruña for weeks before the move was finalised over the summer.
The 21-year-old, formed in the academies of Ajax and AZ Alkmaar, signed a contract through 2030 and had impressed during pre-season, leaving Deportivo La Coruna with high hopes for his role in the engine room. He had chosen the Spanish club, in part, over interest from Twente back home, drawn by the chance to compete in LaLiga after Deportivo's promotion back to the top flight.
The club's subsequent reinforcements in that area of the pitch, however, left him short of the playing time it wanted for him this season. Gijselhart is an organising midfielder rather than a goalscoring one — he made 33 appearances for De Graafschap last season without registering a goal — but is regarded as a calm, reliable presence who dictates tempo and offers a consistent passing outlet from deep, precisely the profile Deportivo identified a need for when they moved for him.
Rather than let him sit on the bench, Deportivo opted to send Gijselhart somewhere he could accumulate regular minutes and match experience, settling on a league they felt would suit his development.
The move is a straight loan with no option to buy, meaning the midfielder will return to Riazor once the arrangement ends.
The Dutchman, capped at youth level by the Netherlands, arrives in the Gulf at the start of what the club still views as a promising career, with Deportivo continuing to monitor his progress from afar.
His departure leaves the Galician side to manage the position with the options accrued since his arrival, while Gijselhart begins an unexpected new chapter far from the LaLiga return he had been building towards over the summer.