Ajax temporarily waves goodbye to Charlie Setford. The Amsterdam club announced on Monday that the goalkeeper (21) will transfer immediately and on a rental basis to MK Dons, which plays in the English League Two.
The lease agreement with the fourth division team from England also includes a purchase option. Setford has a contract with Ajax that will run for another year and a half.
”It is important for Charlie at this stage of his career to be the first goalkeeper to make a lot of playing minutes and the loan to MK Dons offers a solution. Hopefully Charlie can get a lot of minutes in England and continue his development. We wished him good luck,” the director of football affairs explains on Ajax’s website.
Setford, born in Haarlem on May 11, 2004, joined Ajax’s youth academy in 2012. His debut in professional football followed in 2021, in a Jong Ajax match in the Kitchen Champion Division. The counter now stands at 56 appearances for the promising team.
The young Setford received the prestigious Abdelhak Nouri Trophy in 2022. Every year that prize goes to the greatest talent from Ajax’s youth academy. Playing time in the main squad has so far been lacking for the goalkeeper with English roots. He was once on the bench in a Champions League match.
Charlie Setford is the older brother of Tommy Setford. The latter was part of Ajax’s youth department for years and opted for a new adventure at Arsenal in 2024.
The loanee is looking forward to what awaits him at MK Dons. ”It’s been a few nervous days. I am happy to be here and hope for a successful continuation of the season,” can be read on the website of the number four in League Two.
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