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Marc Overmars, Sporting Director at Ajax, has already begun paving the way for future seasons behind the scenes. He expressed his wish to retain Daley Blind for next season and beyond at the General Meeting for Shareholders on Friday.
According to Overmars, there’s a certain degree of creativity necessary for a club like Ajax to keep up with the bigger clubs in Europe. In comparison to the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City or FC Barcelona, Ajax simply lacks financial firepower. It took a lot of time and effort to get Daley Blind and Dušan Tadić to join Ajax in the Eredivisie. “It can be difficult for people outside the club to understand that we are working on something that could take months to realize. This is the process I am in right now, constructing the team for next season”, said Overmars, as cited by the NOS.
Although he admits that Ajax is still feeling the loss of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch, Overmars looks back on last summer as a successful transfer period in which a total exodus was averted. The focus has already shifted to next summer. “I will sit down and talk with Daley soon, and we’ll have the same discussion I had with Dušan. What are Daley’s plans for the future? We have already made agreements with some of the players, especially the older ones. Some lads still have the desire to play abroad. That is what we have to deal with.”
Danny Blind, former captain of Ajax, currently a member of the board of directors, and most importantly, Daley Blind’s father, was also present at the meeting. He thinks that it is the Eredivisie which is holding Ajax back. “Players always want to further develop themselves in a bigger, more challenging league, like the Premier League or La Liga”, he added to the discussion.