After Ajax announced the sacking of Marcel Keizer, thoughts have turned to who could be his replacement. Michael Bell takes you through some of the candidates.
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Peter Bosz
After one season in charge of Ajax, which ended with the Europa League final defeat to Manchester United, Bosz left for Borussia Dortmund. It didn’t work out in Germany and after being sacked, Bosz is immediately the top candidate to return to the ArenA and take over from Keizer.
Bosz did not work well with Dennis Bergkamp and Hennie Spijkerman, which was reportedly behind his decision to leave Amsterdam after only one year. However, with both assistants following Keizer out of the door, the path is clear for the 54-year-old to continue the job he started last year.
Under Bosz, Ajax played attractive football but ended up trophyless. Will the club’s management give him another chance?
Frank de Boer
Another coach that’s career hasn’t gone as expected after leaving Amsterdam, De Boer is on the lookout for a new challenge after failed spells with Inter Milan and Crystal Palace.
De Boer won four championships in five years in charge of Ajax, was a fan favourite for most of his reign and knows the running of the club inside out. However, De Boer soured his reputation in Amsterdam in his final season in charge, which saw the club playing some torrid football and losing the title to PSV.
A return to Amsterdam may be tempting for De Boer, but he is still constantly linked with several foreign jobs and is the current favourite to take charge at Swansea City.
Dick Advocaat
The veteran is out of work after stepping down as Netherlands boss and is on the lookout for a new job in club football.
Sparta Rotterdam are trying hard to convince Advocaat to take over in Rotterdam, but would probably be very tempted to take over in Amsterdam on a short-term deal if approached.
However, it is unlikely that Advocaat’s style of play and coaching methods would go down well at Ajax.
Erik ten Hag
The darling coach of the Eredivisie, Ten Hag has gained plaudits for what he has done at FC Utrecht over the last few years and is primed to eventually make a step up to one of the top three in the Netherlands.
PSV have always been the club linked to the former defender, with Ten Hag having a spell as an assistant in Eindhoven. However, Ajax could trump their rivals by offering the 47-year-old the chance to take over in Amsterdam.
Ten Hag has a reputation of blooding youngsters and doing well with a small budget, which would put him in line with the Ajax vision.
Thomas Tuchel
Possibly a dream candidate for Ajax fans, Tuchel gained a reputation for playing attractive attacking football while in charge at Borussia Dortmund before stepping down in 2017, to be replaced by Peter Bosz.
Tuchel has been out of work since despite being linked with various jobs. Could Ajax be the club to tempt the German out of his hiatus?
Michael Laudrup
The former winger dazzled the Amsterdam Arena as a player and has been constantly linked with a return as a coach. Marc Overmars was reportedly looking to appoint the Dane last summer before they decided upon Keizer.
Laudrup has had varied success as a coach with Spartak Moscow, Getafe, Real Mallorca and Swansea City and is currently in charge of Al Rayyan in Qatar.
However, Overmars may favour going for an unattached coach instead of working out a compensation package with Al Rayyan.
Michael Reiziger
The club have already announced that Reiziger, who is the current Jong Ajax coach, will take temporary charge of the club with Winston Bogarde his assistant.
The former defender now has a chance to prove himself to the owners and possibly put his name forward for the job permanently. His Jong Ajax side currently sit second in the Eerste Divisie, playing some of the most attractive football in the league.
Keizer was promoted from the reserves in the summer so Ajax may look to promote from within once again.
Louis van Gaal
Van Gaal stated earlier this week that he would only return to management with a Premier League side in order to gain revenge on Manchester United. However, could Ajax tempt him back to the club, where he started his coaching career, on a possible short-term deal until the end of the season?
Ajax could benefit from Van Gaal’s coaching knowledge and insight into youth coaching before making a more long-term appointment in the summer.
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