It seems that Ajax are weighing up bringing in Jordi Cruyff as technical director to replace outgoing Alex Kroes who is due to step down from his role at the end of the season.
Zoon van legendarische nummer veertien moet sportief in zwaar weer verkerende club naar rustiger vaarwater loodsen.
Exclusieve foto: geheime ontmoeting in Barcelona tussen Ajax en Jordi Cruijff https://t.co/kxPhjifeyS
— Telesport Voetbal (@televoetbal) November 24, 2025
Kroes was originally brought into the club 18 months ago as chairman though was suspended within weeks by club officials after being accused of insider trading when he bought 17,000 Ajax shares prior to his nomination being announced.
However, the financial markets regulator, AFM then revealed that he had not flouted any rules.
Despite this, under Kroes, and more directly, recent manager John Heitinga, who was sacked earlier this month, Ajax have experienced a decline in fortunes.
While assistant manager Fred Grim was promoted as interim manager, the club’s fortunes have not improved with the club in sixth place in Eredivise, 14 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven and eight points behind second-placed Feyenoord.
Kroes, though, has indicated his willingness to step down should the club find a new manager before the end of the season.
Why Cruyff Is Being Considered
Obviously, there is a need for stability at the club and Cruyff could be the perfect candidate to make sure that this happens. There is a clear family connection there, with his dad, Johan having somewhat of an unparalleled status with the Amsterdam club which has since named their stadium after him.
However, he doesn’t need to trade off his father’s name, having built a reputation for himself over the last few years. Indeed, he has been a pivotal figure during his time as technical director at Barcelona (who his dad also played for and managed), and was key to bringing players such as Raphina to the Spanish side.
Under Cruyff’s leadership, Barca won the La Liga title (2022/23), while he was also fundamental in integrating young players back into the first team.
Ajax has some incredible talent in its youth academy and no doubt, this is an area that Cruyff will look at in detail should he be appointed and could also have an influence on who the club brings in as its next permanent manager.
A Stabilising Influence And Fan Draw
There probably wouldn’t be too many complaints from Ajax fans if Cruyff is brought in. He knows the club well and also reflects its ‘Total Football’ philosophy of which his father helped to implement.
His experience at Barcelona can prove to be pivotal and help to take the club back to the top of Dutch football and possibly establish it as a credible European force once again.
There is a lot of work to do, though Cruyff will see this as a great opportunity to help build the next great Ajax team, especially considering the crop of young talent that is performing in the academy.
Typically, Ajax don’t have a lot of money to spend on new players, which won’t necessarily bother Cruyff, so this could be a very viable appointment in what is likely to hail the dawn of a new era at the club.