Ajax must prepare themselves for summer raid
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Ajax’s dampened spirits could take another hit this summer, as the club prepare to fight off interest from Europe’s biggest clubs, with a number of big-money bids set to come in for their star players.
Despite a fantastic season, Ajax finished the campaign without a trophy. Peter Bosz’s young side were just one point behind Eredivisie title winners Feyenoord, while they also suffered a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Regardless, Ajax’s season offered plenty of promise for the years ahead. They were the youngest ever team to feature in the final of a major European tournament and, despite a poor result, had done themselves proud by reaching that stage. Should Ajax manage to keep their squad together, they could go on to dominate Dutch football once they reach their peak.
Yet, that seems unlikely. Club manager Bosz has already been confirmed as the club’s first casualty, after agreeing to join Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. FC Ultrecht manager Erik ten Hag, reserve team coach Marcel Keizer and Reading FC’s Jaap Stam are all in the running to replace him. Whoever lands the position will likely have a massive rebuilding job on their hands over the next few months.
The club fear that Bosz’s exit could spark a mass departure at Ajax. Club captain Davy Klaassen looks set to leave, with interest from Everton, Manchester United and AC Milan building. Likewise, Dutch defender Joel Veltman has also stated that he intends to depart this summer.
There has also been talk of Kasper Dolberg leaving the club too. The 19-year-old has insisted that he wanted to stay and continue developing under Bosz, but with the manager moving elsewhere, he could be tempted to follow suit. Should he depart, his 23 goals and eight assists will be sorely missed.
Although, Ajax have already moved to deal with some of the losses that they are likely to suffer. They announced the signing of former striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar earlier this month on a two-year deal. The 33-year-old is past his prime and managed to net just two league goals for Schalke last season. However, he will provide plenty of experience in the young dressing room, which will certainly be valuable in the big games.
Yet, Ajax will never progress if they are simply replacing lost assets. They learnt this this season, after losing Viktor Fischer, Arkadiusz Milik and Jasper Cillessen over the summer. If they don’t put their foot down and refuse to allow their stars to exit, they are likely to suffer a similar fate next term.
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