Between all the important news and reactions surrounding Ajax, you may miss a few things during the week. Don’t worry, because Ajax Showtime will keep you informed of the latest news and events regarding the record champion of Dutch football.
Henk Spaan writes in his column Het Parool that Gerald Alders made a wise choice by letting himself be rented to Telstar. The columnist explains why he thinks Alders is an interesting player. ‘It’s refreshing to hear a footballer talk intelligently about his profession. I saw a clip in which Joris van Overeem explains to Thijs Zwagerman how he tries to intercept a pass by reading the body language of an opponent.’
‘He never succeeded with Daley Blind, because Blind was a master at delaying the pass. Gerald Alders is also a footballer who is capable of such analyses,” writes Spaan, who therefore welcomes the transfer to Telstar. ‘That is why it is a wise move for him to let himself be hired out to Telstar, where an intelligent and verbally strong trainer is in charge.
‘Alders, whose last mistake in the first was a header through the center of the defense. I think he was blamed too much,” Spaan concludes his column. ‘You see that mistake more often at Ajax, even by untouchable boys. Alders will make Telstar stronger and vice versa.’
Bram van Polen feels sorry for Youri Regeer. The midfielder has been playing as… number six at Ajax, but the analyst sees little appreciation for the 22-year-old’s performance, while the club would have preferred to add a controlling midfielder to the selection.
“How would Regeer feel now?” Van Polen asks Transfer Deadlineshow op ESPN. ‘He is now developing and I think the staff is reasonably satisfied with how he is doing. Only now you hear all those names from above and outside. Wouldn’t that drive him crazy? Why don’t they express their confidence in Regeer?’
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Mike Verweij, Ajax watcher from The Telegraphdo not expect any more incoming transfers from Ajax. The team from Amsterdam captured Maher Carrizo on Tuesday and that seems to be the end of it. ‘The players Ajax had in mind for the six position were too expensive, injured or were not allowed to go to Amsterdam. To get (expensive) just to get is not an option for Cruijff,” he writes.
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Youri Regeer, Ko Itakura and Oleksandr Zinchenko will most likely become the options in the six position for Fred Grim in the second half of the season. ‘And so this winter transfer period remains at Ajax with the arrival of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maarten Paes, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Maher Carrizo.’ Only the outgoing loan transfer from Gerald Alders to Telstar is still waiting to be finalized.
The transfer of Kodai Sano to Ajax seems to be definitively off the track. Henk Spaan discusses this in his column Het Parool clear about: ‘As things stand at the time of writing, the transfer from Sano to Ajax will not go ahead. Too bad for Ajax.’
NEC’s response in particular is surprising to Spaan. ‘I found Wilco van Schaik’s reaction particularly funny.’ According to Spaan, the general manager of NEC went too far: ‘The trading of Ajax eating with Sano in a Japanese restaurant would be punishable, said the ‘white-hot’ director of NEC.’
Spaan puts that fuss into perspective with a much more serious matter. ‘Well, when Lassana Diarra unilaterally resigned from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2014, he initially received a suspension from FIFA.’ The outcome was legally devastating for the transfer system: ‘The European Court ruled that the transfer rules are contrary to European law.’
Spaan also does not agree with NEC’s actions: ‘Diarra now has tens of millions in compensation claims pending with Fifa and the Belgian association. It’s that Sano is a nice guy who doesn’t want to argue. In the meantime, NEC is doing business with Mendes and the club is ignoring the player’s labor rights.’
Maher Carrizo has on his Instagram channel said goodbye to the club and supporters of Vélez Sarsfield. The right winger from Argentina is well on his way to Ajax and the transfer does not seem to be long in coming. “Maher Carrizo said goodbye to Vélez Sarsfield fans on Instagram and is quickly presented as Ajax’s new player,” Mike Verweij also notes.
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The attacker himself says goodbye to the supporters through an emotional video and equally emotional text. “Thank you to the people of Vélez, who were always present and gave me their support and affection in good and difficult times,” Carrizo wrote. ‘Thank you to all the club staff, the delegates and the medical staff who always guided me with their daily work and dedication and made me feel supported at all times.’
Ajax will have Danny Makkelie as referee during next Sunday’s match against AZ, the KNVB announced via its own website. The Dutch Football Association has therefore chosen one of the, on paper, larger referees that the football country currently has.
Makkelie will not do it alone on Sunday, when Ajax and AZ kick off in Alkmaar at 2:30 PM. Rob Dieperink assists his colleague as Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and will help to manage the match. Ajax starts Sunday’s match against number six as number four in the Eredivisie and will hope to maintain its position in second place, which entitles it to play Champions League football.
Former Ajax player Donny van de Beek is getting married to Estelle Bergkamp, the daughter of Dennis Bergkamp. The couple announced on Instagram that they are going to tie the knot. “The easiest YES ever,” Bergkamp writes on her Instagram account.
Henk Spaan has been critical of Fred Grim’s substitution policy during the match against Excelsior. The columnist elaborates in his column Het Parool know that he would have left Rayane Bounida standing much longer. ‘How long do you leave sturgeon? I don’t like victim blaming, but Grim should have taken Steur off the field before Bounida, because he and Godts were the best men.’
Spaan looks back on Excelsior’s first goal in his column. ‘First Gaaei was gated, then Steur was played out and Mokio forgot to cover his man. Three mistakes in a row. Ten minutes before that goal, Dolberg and Bounida had been substituted for Weghorst and Edvardsen, a tactical error on the level of Mokio’s covering error.’
‘Before his substitution, Bounida had intervened defensively about four times in the second half, with head and feet. He was, it seemed, fitter than Steur and was better in the match,” Spaan believes. ‘Sturgeon was also outplayed with the second goal. Godts worked hard, scored, won duels and was not to blame. Johnson filled in promisingly. Always looking for bright spots.’
