One of the things that supporters rarely think about when it comes to discussions around the clubs that they support is that it is often a delicate balancing act between getting rid of some players and bringing others in.
In the case of Ajax, that was made even harder this summer by the manner in which things fell apart at the end of the 2024-2025 campaign, resulting in the departure of the manager and the desire of the new man in the hot seat to tear it all down and start again. Now the club has seen another couple of players depart, which might end up with John Heitinga being left short.
Akpom Signs for Ipswich Town
Chuba Akpom was born in the London borough of Newham on the ninth of October 1995. He soon joined the Arsenal youth system, playing a couple of league games for the Gunners amongst loan moves to the likes of Brentford, Coventry City and Nottingham Forest. In 2018 he signed permanently for the Greek side PAOK, then moved to Middlesbrough in 2020 before signing for Ajax three years later. He scored 14 goals in 42 appearances for de Godenzonen, having cost the club a little over €12 million. His first goal came in the 2-0 win over Voldendam in the November.
Whilst Ajax’s capitulation at the end of the 2024-2025 season was embarrassing for all connected to the club, Akpom can at least claim to be blame-free on account of the fact that he moved to the French side Lille on loan on the second of February. Although they had an option to buy him, it wasn’t one that they chose to take up, meaning that he returned to Ajax at the end of the loan period.
In spite of the fact that he wasn’t part of the calamitous end to the previous campaign, manager Heitinga decided that he didn’t want to work with him and he has gone back out on loan, this time to Ipswich.
Chelsea Sign Hato
There was a time when it looked as though Ajax might be able to drum up something of a bidding war for Jorrel Hato. Rumours swirled that Liverpool were keen on signing the left-sided defender as the long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, whilst Chelsea were also interested in his signature.
In the end, Liverpool decided to sign Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40 million, which meant that they had no need for a player who could cover the left-back berth. Chelsea, on the other hand, continued to look for competition for Marc Cucurella and Hato’s experience in the position was enough to convince them to pull the trigger.
@europaleague Jorrel Hato🔥 #UEL ♬ Phonk Villain (Slowed) – kovkan
As a result, any potential bidding war bit the dust, but Chelsea are a club that has been happy to splash the cash for some time now and so a deal worth around £37 million was struck between the two clubs. It resulted in Hato’s departure from the Johan Cruyff Arena, arriving at Stamford Bridge as the eighth player to sign for the Club World Cup winners this summer.
Having made his way through the Ajax Academy, Hato made 111 appearances for de Godenzonen and has also earned caps for the Netherlands national team. It means that Ajax are losing both talent and experience with his departure.
Where That Leaves the Ajax Squad
It is fair to say that John Heitinga has been clearing the decks at Ajax over the past couple of months since his arrival, following on from a title-winning campaign at Liverpool as Arne Slot’s assistant. Numerous players have been given their marching orders, including some receiving the message that they were surplus to requirements via WhatsApp message.
What that has meant is that Heitinga has been able to keep his squad a little bit more manageable than it might otherwise have been, trimming the fat off a side that threw away the Eredivisie title in the final game of the previous season.
Even so, the manager was able to name 12 substitutes for the opening game of the 2025-2026 campaign against Telstar, using four of them as the club looked to defend a 2-0 lead. It would be a lie to say that it was a classic Ajax performance, with many feeling as though the club had looked much better in pre-season but seemed to lose its way as the 90 minutes progressed.
Wout Weghorst scored both goals in the game, meaning that there is a feeling from some that the club is at risk of becoming dependent on the forward, given the lack of clear options to replace him.
Ajax have done well to get players off the books, but maybe not been as good at bringing in replacements.