Sven Mislintat opts for a trend break at Ajax. Where the tandem Marc Overmars and Erik ten Hag, as director of football affairs and head coach, both had a right of veto when it came to transfer, the German takes a different approach.
The new trainer will no longer be able to block transfers, Mislintat tells Algemeen Dagblad. The director has a clear reason for this. “The trainer is responsible for creating a strong and fit team as possible. Together with the head of scouting, I am responsible for the transfers. And if we look at last summer, we have a clear reason to do it this way.”
Ajax experienced a particularly unfortunate transfer period a year ago, in which coach Alfred Schreuder’s agent, Milos Malenovic, played a leading role. The technical duo Gerry Hamstra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was frequently assisted by the latter.
Mislintat saw it go wrong. “Officially I’m twelve days, yes. To be honest, I’ve been to all the matches for the last ten, eleven months,” he reveals, quoted by Voetbal International. “I used that time well to gain a better understanding of the club and the first team. That helped me a lot to see where the pain points are. I also noticed that things did not work out well in the summer.”
“So I certainly didn’t underestimate my job,” continues Mislintat. “I know that if a club like Ajax is not successful, then there are problems. The key is to find and solve them. I am very confident that we will turn it around. We are working for that in a process in which the principles of the club are very important. And no, it’s not just about data.”
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