DBasia.news – Ajax Amsterdam’s trip to the Champions League this season is fantastic. Starting from the phase of the Second Qualification Round, The Children of God – the nickname of Ajax – has now reached the semifinals.
Ajax got rid of three consecutive champions, Real Madrid, and Juventus, which was reinforced by a superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, on the way to the semifinals last time reached in 1997. Their chance to win the Champions League trophy was quite big.
Not only has the potential to win the fifth Champions League title in club history, but Ajax can also end the season with a treble achievement because it is still fighting for the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup titles. Last time, Ajax won the treble in 1972, when Johan Cruyff was still playing there.
Ajax’s great achievements this season are inseparable from the club’s perseverance continuing their philosophy and tradition in developing young players, allowing academy products to shine in the first team and combine them with experienced senior players.
The arrival of Daley Blind, Dusan Tadic, and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, provided experiences for talented young people such as David Neres, Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong, and Donny van de Beek. All were formulated perfectly by Erik ten Hag, Ajax coach.
The increasing achievement of Ajax this season, the higher the interest of European clubs to players in the squad this season. The starting price of Ajax’s starting line-up may be only 50 million euros, now they can get around 300 million euros if they sell their talented players.
De Jong for example. The 21-year-old midfielder will already belong to Barcelona next season because he was bought last January for 75 million euros, plus 11 million euros from other variables. Barca saw it as a combination of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets.
“He will be a key part (Barcelona). Cruyff started the road now followed by De Jong. His arrival adds talent, youth, and style to playing on our team,” said Josep Maria Bartomeu, President of Barca.
De Jong who can play in three midfield positions is just the beginning. Some other names that currently make Marc Overmars, Ajax Sports Director, dizzy because of the many offers that came were: De Ligt, Andre Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, Nicolas Tagliafico, David Neres, Tadic, Van de Beek, and Judge Ziyech.
De Ligt, Neres, and Ziyech are the most steal because of the relatively young age and can be an investment for a bright future. 19-year-old De Ligt plays as a central defender and is hunted by big European clubs.
Not even 20 years old, De Ligt has been captain of Ajax and packs 15 caps, as well as one goal, for the Dutch national team. The official price can exceed the price of 80 million euros. De Jong and potentially through his compatriot record, Virgil van Dijk, as the world’s most expensive defender.
The buying and selling system in Ajax’s transfer policy is not new anymore. They are aware that it is difficult to maintain the young stars of the team’s mainstay if the offer comes from clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool.
Overmars certainly thinks carefully about who will be sold next summer. In fact, Overmars has prepared the future by recruiting Razvan Marin, Kik Pierie, and eyeing the Norwegian wonderkid of Real Madrid, Martin Odegaard.