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Next summer will be all about reconstruction for Ajax. After two lean years, it is very important for the club to examine the selection and say goodbye to players who are not performing sufficiently. Star players such as Steven Bergwijn and Steven Berghuis remain part of Ajax’s plans. However, the question remains whether they are waiting for that.
According to Ajax watcher Johan Inan, Berghuis in particular wants ‘to see the prospect of playing for prizes again’. That was the reason why he switched from Feyenoord to Ajax – despite the expected commotion – in the summer of 2021. Berghuis won the national title in his first season and experienced a historic group stage of the Champions League, but is now in his second consecutive disappointing season in Amsterdam.
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The question is therefore whether Berghuis wants to continue at Ajax after the summer. Especially considering his contract expires in mid-2025 and he is entering the last year of his contract. According to Inan, the lefty is keeping his options ‘open’. “He does want to see the prospect of playing for prizes again. And in almost all cases it is important which trainer Ajax comes up with,” Inan writes in Algemeen Dagblad. No clarity is expected on this in the short term.
With Bergwijn the story is slightly different. The winger came over from Tottenham Hotspur two years ago, signed a contract until mid-2027 and came to Amsterdam to also play for trophies. The attacker also hinted that he wanted to take stock after two years. “That moment has slowly arrived for one of the most expensive selection players,” Inan refers to taking stock. Bergwijn has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and a return to the Premier League in recent months.
