Fred Grim is in an excellent position within the Ajax selection, as Hans Kraay junior says in his column for Football International. The journalist therefore advises future technical director Jordi Cruijff to ‘drink an extensive cup of coffee’ on his first working day with the current head coach of the Amsterdam team.
Grim was added to Ajax’s technical staff on October 6, 2025, where he became assistant coach to troubled head coach John Heitinga. The same Heitinga was fired a month later due to poor results, after which Grim took over the honors. The interim coach also had a difficult start at Ajax: he lost his first three official matches.
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Then Grim turned things around and there were no more losses in the Eredivisie from November 22. Ajax has looked more stable since then and has risen to third place, while the last position in the competition phase of the Champions League is also a thing of the past.
Kraay: ‘Ajax selection finds it more than pleasant to work with Grim’
These good results did not come out of the blue, because Kraay junior knows that the Ajax selection is very satisfied with Heitinga’s successor. “I now understand very clearly that the Ajax players find it more than enjoyable to work with Fred Grim. He radiates calm, enthusiasm, and despite the fact that he is a huge supporter of 4-3-3, his current playing style, 4-5-1, shows a high sense of reality,” says the ESPNjournalist at VI.
The ex-presenter of Laughing at Home Videos has a tip for Jordi Cruijff, who will start at Ajax in February: “Perhaps it is very wise for Jordi Cruijff to drink an extensive cup of coffee with Grim on his first day at work. And I am not saying that this is now the ideal Ajax coach for the next three years, but… a little rest in the store would do Ajax very well. And while talking to Grim, Jordi Cruijff will find out that his vision is the best for Johan. Cruijff DNA is quite close,” says Kraay junior.
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