The analysts of Studio Football On Sunday evening we discussed the question of who should become Ajax’s new coach. Ibrahim Afellay, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Arno Vermeulen and Michiel Kramer all mentioned a different name.
“There are not very many trainers available,” Afellay realized. “But when I look at the problems that Ajax has, I would lean towards Frank de Boer in combination with Pepijn Lijnders.” Afellay pointed out that De Boer did a ‘great job’ in his previous period as head coach, with four national titles as tangible proof. “He also had to deal with many problems within Ajax, which meant that not much was possible. He is also a club boy. We have seen this season that there are so many things going on at Ajax. You have to be more than just a trainer there. With Louis van Gaal and Danny Blind, there are people with Ajax DNA. I think De Boer is a suitable candidate to work among them. There are so many force fields, he is capable enough to bear that.”
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Afellay was then asked whether Ajax should take into account the fact that De Boer has failed everywhere after his period in Amsterdam. “Of course that doesn’t have to play a role. He has done very well at Ajax.” He then got the studio laughing with a remarkable analysis: “You could also say: he has had a lot of experience, so he knows what not to do.” Afellay added: “There are not that many options. With his track record, and all the foreigners who have been brought in to Ajax, I would now rather choose Ajax people who have the best interests of the club at heart.”
Arno Vermeulen repeated his earlier plea for Thomas Tuchel. “I would make the first call to Thomas Tuchel, because I think Ajax can no longer take any risks after the debacle of this season. You never know for sure whether a trainer will work, but he has worked in three top competitions and won major prizes. He is still young, ambitious and will want to take revenge after being punched in the nose at Bayern Munich. Ajax could be an interesting club for him. You can always try.”
Pierre van Hooijdonk dropped Pascal Jansen’s name. “He did a good job at AZ, so why couldn’t he be the trainer of Ajax?” Kramer put forward his old trainer Joseph Oosting, who currently works at FC Twente. “I worked with him for two years and I know how he treats players. At Twente you also now see that the players are running away with him. He showed it with us, then at a bigger club, so you could say that a top club is the next step. His working method and interaction with players would be valuable to any club. The fact that he connects, is a winner and wants to play attacking football are ingredients that could put you in the picture at a club like Ajax.”
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