Since the departure of Overmars in February last year, the position of director of football affairs has been vacant. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Gerry Hamstra filled the position on an interim basis, but were not given a permanent appointment after a poor transfer summer.
For a long time, the Englishman Julian Ward seemed to be Overmars’ successor, but he canceled. Ajax then ended up at Mislintat. The German worked as a chief scout at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal and was sporting director of VfB Stuttgart until November last year. At the Bundesliga club, he himself chose not to extend his contract.
Fifty-year-old Mislintat will be given the task of shaping the purchasing policy at Ajax, among other things. It is not yet known whether Huntelaar will also play a role in this. Hamstra left Ajax of his own accord at the beginning of this month.
Mislintat has to make a decision about trainer’s position
One of Mislintat’s first challenges is appointing a trainer for next season. After the resignation of Alfred Schreuder, John Heitinga stands in front of the group. It is still unclear whether Heitinga can stay longer. He himself demanded clarity from the Ajax leadership earlier this month.
The appointment of Mislintat will probably increase the rumors about a possible return of Peter Bosz. Mislintat also wanted to bring Bosz to Stuttgart earlier. Moreover, Bosz himself recently announced that he is open to a conversation at Ajax, where he already worked in the 2016/2017 season.
For example, the vacancies at Ajax are increasingly being filled. Earlier this month, Jan van Halst was nominated as a new member of the Supervisory Board of Ajax. The former midfielder is Danny Blind’s intended successor for the technical portfolio. His nomination will be decided on May 26 during the general meeting of members.
Ajax is having a very disappointing season. With the cup final against PSV ahead, the team from Amsterdam has one more realistic chance of winning a prize. Furthermore, Ajax experienced a disappointing European adventure and it takes a major slump from Feyenoord to become national champion.
