Ajax and Graham Potter are approaching each other in negotiations. At least that’s what Mike Verweij knows how to say. According to the club watcher from The Telegraph the Englishman’s salary is ‘no problem’. Ajax currently still plays chess on two boards, but Potter is still the main candidate to represent the group in Amsterdam after the summer.
Ajax has been explicitly linked with the arrival of Potter for some time, but in recent weeks it has become increasingly questionable how realistic an employment contract in Amsterdam was. The Englishman rejected an initial proposal from the current number five in the Eredivisie, partly because the club could not (yet) meet his financial demands. The difference between supply and demand was large and that created a big question mark behind Potter’s arrival at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. But now there seems to be some progress in the negotiations.
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“That is the expectation, yes,” Verweij responds in the Kick-off podcast The Telegraph when asked whether there will be more clarity this week about the head coachship at Ajax. “Potter seems to be backing down a bit in terms of demands. Salary is not a problem anyway, I understand. Initially it was the case, and this is also an English tradition, that the manager always earns one euro, or pound in England, more than the best-paid player.” But that is not an option in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, because Jordan Henderson receives a generous salary. The midfielder switched from Al-Ettifaq (Saudi Arabia) to Ajax earlier this calendar year and instantly became one of the top earners at Ajax. He earns an annual salary of 4.5 million euros.
According to Verweij, Potter has now been told that earning more than Henderson is not an option. But there are still other hurdles that Ajax and Potter have to overcome. For example, he allegedly demanded that his agent ‘be involved or watch’ in deals. “That kind of thing is simply not possible,” said Verweij, who nevertheless expects Potter to become John van ‘t Schip’s successor. “As written in the newspaper: it is really one of the two (Francesco Farioli of Potter, ed.). Chess is now also played on two boards, but I do think that Potter has the best chance in the end. If they can get him, they will get him, otherwise they will quickly move on to Farioli.” The latter is currently still under contract with OGC Nice. Ajax would have to pay a transfer fee for him, while Potter can be picked up ‘for free’ after his dismissal from Chelsea last year.
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