Where’s my technical director?!

122 Views

Did you know that the butcher of Amsterdam, Lisandro Martinez once referred to the technical director of Ajax as a ‘f****** nobody’?

The nobody

This was when negotiations dragged on with Manchester United in 2022 to get his £56m move done. Such is the drama this post has enveloped.

 

Due to the fact that no technical director has still been appointed at Ajax, nothing is happening behind the scenes. It’s completely quiet. For example, Mohammed Kudus has not been offered a contract extension while going through a great season.

Mike Verwell – Sports Correspondent, De telegraaf, recently reported that a technical director was not appointed and Mohammed Kudus hadn’t been offered a new deal.

We expected at least some form of offer to be tabled by now when you know the elite teams in Europe such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona are chomping at the bit to secure a permanent deal for the 22-year-old wonderkid winger in the summer.

Why not? The kid has fantastic potential and has helped propel Ajax towards a title challenge in the second half of the season. But the least you would expect of a competently run club is to either at least slap an offer on the table or not be stupid enough to put yourselves in this position by adding a contract extension clause. Duh.

King Julian

Julian Ward, who stepped down from his post as Liverpool’s technical director last year has been heavily linked to a move to Ajax’s titan tower.

Liverpool incidentally had one of their worst runs under Jurgen Klopp this season with fans calling for the German coach’s head at some point. Sadio Mane was a bit of a talisman for them over the years and left last summer. Their dip in form could also be attached to Ward’s exit as technical director maybe?

It’s ironic because Ajax have seen a similar fate this season. Once revered for their structure, Ajax were seen as European giants. Since Ten Hag left for Manchester United, Ajax have sacked John Schreuder although John Heitinga hasn’t done too badly but also hasn’t excelled.

Heaven

Marc Overmars was at the club for nearly a decade as technical director. His reign saw five Eredivisie titles and a Champions League semi final. Ten Hag won the league the season before.

Overmars just signed a new deal through to 2026 having fended off competition from Newcastle who were looking for a new director. The club’s Bob Marley inspired third kit was selling out in seconds. Transfer machine was spinning smoothly like clockwork and Van de Sar was happy with his mission of restoring Ajax as the pride of Europe.

Fans were in ecstasy and fiesta. Fandom and hierarchy were celebrating in unison.

From the results and the activity off the pitch, you can tell the Amsterdam giants have not recovered from the hangover of last season.

Overmars resigned from his position on 6th February last year after admitting to sending a series of inappropriate messages to female colleagues. Among other things, he sent a picture of his genitals to at least one employee.

It sums up the path Ajax have been on. Calamity and a lack of direction. When there’s no structure, the wind can take you anywhere it wants but can you really afford to do that in the chaotic world we live in today – in footballing terms?