Former Dutch football striker Patrick Kluivert spoke to the NOS’s Joep Schreuder about being director of football at Paris St Germain. His drive to eventually return to the pitch as a manager and he also revealed how close he came to managing Ajax after having had negotiations this summer.
- By James Rowe
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Kluivert was U19 coach at Ajax before leaving in the summer to become director of football in Paris. Speaking to NOS, he has revealed that he held an interview with the Ajax board to replace Frank de Boer, but the club overlooked him for Peter Bosz.
He said, ”I had a fantastic learning curve at Ajax in my youth and I am convinced that Ajax and other Dutch club are further on in their youth development than here at Paris St Germain and other French clubs so we can learn from the Dutch example and that it what I try to implement here at Paris St Germain.
”Yes I speak French I also played for Lille towards the end of my career. It’s true that the Sport channel from Qatar is owned by Nasser Al- Khelaifi who also acquired Paris St Germain. We remained in good contact and he rang me about the position of director of football but I had already signed to coach the youth team at Ajax and we discussed the situation.
”I also had discussions with Ajax about becoming their manager this summer but the board thought that it would be too early and I respect the decision of the Ajax board but I would have liked to become Ajax manager and I would have dared to do it and I was disappointed because you want to achieve the highest possible positions and to become manager of Ajax would have been a great chance for me.
”To get the position of director of football at Paris St Germain is an opportunity that you might only receive once in a million years and it is a fantastic opportunity for me to develop myself in another position within football. But I would not rule out that I will make a return to the pitch in the future.
”Louis van Gaal helped me a lot in my development as a manager and I am really grateful to him and he knows that.
”I am also a director of football who goes into the changing room before the game at half time and also after the game too and I listen to what is being said.
” I am now a director of football and I do believe that I will be a club manager in the future because my passion and feeling has always on the pitch. But what I am doing now is enriching myself in other things behind football. I cannot say when I will return to the dugout but there will always be a manager’s vacancy.”
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