Can Ajax keep Ten Hag with Dortmund keen on his services?

The suitors won’t go away. And why would they? All the time that Erik ten Hag continues to deliver Ajax teams who play easy-on-the-eye, expansive football and do so within grasp of more silverware, they’re not going to, let face it.

And the latest suitor to be said to be monitoring an approach to lure Ten Hag away from the Sons of the Gods is German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund. It is said that they could well be reviewing their position in terms of who heads up the team following their exit last night from the Champions league at the hands of PSG.

Lucien Favre is the current head coach and there is some suggestion that he could be on his way out of Signal Iduna Park come the end of the season. And, yes, you guessed it, Ten Hag is in the frame for any potential opening.

The Ajax boss has gone on record to confirm that he is at least staying until the end of the season — but the summer may see him have a change of heart if it means a return to German football. He is, of course, a former Bayern Munich reserve team coach so he knows the Bundesliga ever so well. Indeed, he was touted as a potential former boss of Bayern towards the end of last year but those rumours seem to have dissipated in the intervening months.

Now Dortmund are seemingly in the mix for the services of the Ajax coach. When quizzed at the tail end of last year as to whether he would stay at Ajax for the rest of the campaign, Ten Hag said:

“Yes, I can confirm that.” But he was quick to reiterate: “Yes, I feel a strong connection with my team and everyone at Ajax.”

So, one way or another, the whirl of speculation surrounding Ten Hag’s future will have to take its place on the back-burner as he prepares the Amsterdam giants for the next instalment in what he hopes is the retaining of the Eredivisie title.

Table-topping Ajax are next in action on Sunday when they host FC Twente as the home side try to stay one step ahead of second-placed AZ Alkmaar — both teams have 56 points from 25 games and the Sons of the Gods only lead the rankings thanks to a superior goal difference.

Meanwhile, one player who has met with the approval of the Ajax coach of late is Jurrien Timber, just 18, who made his debut in the win over Heerenveen last time out. And Ten Hag said:

“He did an amazing job. Yes, there were some small mistakes, his positioning wasn’t always the best, but overall, I was very content with his performance.”