Nov 29, 2023 at 3:37 PM Update: an hour ago
Marijn Beuker will start working as football director at Ajax. The 39-year-old former director of football development at AZ comes over from Queen’s Park in Scotland, where he has been sporting director since 2022.
Beuker signed a contract until mid-2028 in the Johan Cruijff ArenA on Wednesday, starting on December 1. “Ajax is a fantastic football club with a rich history and enormous potential for the future,” he says on the Ajax website. “I look forward to getting started soon and being part of a team, with the common goal of getting Ajax back to the top.”
According to general manager Jan van Halst, the original position of technical director will be divided over two positions. “In addition to Marijn, the club will hire someone who will be mainly responsible for transfer matters and for managing the technical staff of both Jong Ajax and Ajax 1.”
Beuker would come to Amsterdam at the suggestion of Louis van Gaal, recently an advisor to the supervisory board (SB) of Ajax. The two worked together at AZ between 2007 and 2009. Van Gaal then left for Bayern Munich, while Beuker would remain employed by the Alkmaar team for another eleven years.
Van Gaal previously tipped the KNVB to appoint Beuker for a technical position, but that did not happen. Beuker would be given a non-existent role in the management in Amsterdam, with the task of restructuring Ajax’s football branch. At AZ he was director of football development, among other things.
Beuker is seen as one of the founders of AZ’s current successful youth academy. Many talents pass through there every year. AZ under 19 even won the UEFA Youth League last season. In January 2022, Beuker signed a ten-year contract with Queen’s Park. Scotland’s oldest club was then promoted from the third to the second level and narrowly missed out on promotion to the top level last season.
Marijn Beuker during his period at Queen’s Park. Photo: Getty Images
The next piece of the puzzle has been placed at Ajax
Beuker is the next new face of Ajax’s reconstruction. It was previously announced that John van ‘t Schip will take a seat in the technical heart of Ajax, which also includes Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Former chairman Michael van Praag was recently added to the Ajax supervisory board as a troubleshooter. Van Gaal has recently taken on an advisory role for the supervisory board, while Danny Blind will reportedly also do so for the time being.
In addition to the arrival of Beuker, Ajax would still be looking for a technical man who will deal with transfer matters. He would therefore be considered the successor to Sven Mislintat, who was fired from Ajax in September. Marc Overmars previously fulfilled such a role in the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
Ajax will visit Olympique Marseille on Thursday evening in the Europa League. The Amsterdam team must win to maintain a place in the knockout phase.
2023-11-29 14:37:05
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