Jordi Cruijff and Maxwell are Ajax’s last two candidates in the search for a new technical director. Cruijff is considered a top candidate in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, but a possible collaboration with Marijn Beuker could still throw a spanner in the works. ESPN reporter Cristian Willaert knows this.
“Ajax is making progress when it comes to appointing the new technical director. There is no white smoke yet, but we now know that there are still two candidates left. Those are Jordi Cruijff and Maxwell,” Willaert said on Saturday evening. ESPN. “They are both people with a history at Ajax. The preferred candidate, the man in pole position – and that really comes from the heart of the Ajax management – is Jordi Cruijff.”
‘Beuker prefers Maxwell’
Yet there is a reason that there is a second candidate in Maxwell. “There is no unanimity within the supervisory board and management as to who should become the new technical director,” continues the Ajax watcher of the sports channel. “Marijn Beuker in particular has a slight preference for Maxwell. And perhaps that is not surprising, because at the moment – now that Alex Kroes has indicated that he will leave after January – he is the man who pulls the strings in terms of football and transfers. Covered by Louis van Gaal. He would like to keep it that way.”
‘Ajax must choose: follow Cruijff or continue on the chosen path’
There it may be a problem with Cruijff, as Willaert knows. “Jordi Cruijff is a different type, who has also worked as a trainer and has a lot of football-related knowledge. He will also want to leave his mark on the strategy and policy when it comes to the long term. Ajax must come up with a solution for this. Can Jordi Cruijff and Marijn Beuker divide their tasks in such a way that they work well together?”
According to Willaert, several follow-up conversations took place with Cruijff. “Until the beginning of this week, Marijn Beuker has not been involved in this,” says the reporter. “If it is not possible to get the two on the same page – Jordi Cruijff must also want all this and be satisfied with the division of tasks – then Ajax will have to choose. Meat or fish. The Jordi Cruijff line or continue on the path taken under Beuker, where data and scientific background are very important.”
Van Gaal has a major say in the new technical director
Van Gaal’s voice weighs heavily in that choice. “We’re looking at him at the moment,” says Willaert. “They have come a long way, but the last decision that has to be made is also the most difficult. Then the technical director will only take office in February and will ultimately strike at Fred Grim’s stay until the summer. This is currently being viewed very positively within Ajax.”
