It’s fair to say Ajax’s season isn’t going according to plan. The Dutch giants currently find themselves 12th in the Eredivisie after four matches, with only one win along the way.
That, for Ajax, is unacceptable and there’s lots of drama flying around the club. Part of that relates to Sven Mislintat, the club’s football director, who it’s thought made the wrong decision appointing Maurice Steijn as manager and also with multiple transfers.
This is where Middlesbrough get a mention.
Ajax signed Chuba Akpom from Middlesbrough towards the end of the summer transfer window. They paid around €12m, with bonuses potentially adding another €2m for the Championship club down the line.
However, the 27-year-old hasn’t really had an impact so far this season and patience is already running out. Wednesday’s edition of AD claims ‘market experts’ believe Ajax should have paid Middlesbrough ‘at most half’ of the €12m they received.
That sounds like a bit of a tantrum, considering Akpom scored 29 goals for Michael Carrick’s side last season.
Nevertheless, ‘major questions’ are being asked about the purchase from Middlesbrough and also Mislintat’s wider transfer business.
The media around the Dutch club appears to be talking them into a crisis.
