Steven Bergwijn has admitted he was ‘looking forward’ to leaving Tottenham for a year and a half before his eventual move to Ajax.
The forward completed a move to the Dutch giants earlier this month, returning to his former club in a £28.13m deal.
The switch brought an end to a disappointing two-year spell with Tottenham, who he joined from PSV Eindhoven in a £27m deal in January 2020.
He went on to make 83 appearances in all competitions, scoring ten goals and registering ten assists in that time.
He struggled to establish himself as a key player under a succession of managers, though, with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte never fully believing in him.
It’s that which led to his return to Ajax, where Bergwijn will be hoping to kickstart his career in the Eredivisie and, crucially, the Champions League.
Whether he can do that remains to be seen, but according to the forward, he’s been waiting to get out of Tottenham for some time.
“I have been looking forward to this for a year and a half,” he told De Telegraaf.
“I’m glad everything is over, and I’m rid of the uncertainty. Now I have peace in my head.
“I had already dealt with Ajax about my contract, but then the clubs still had to come to an agreement. That was down to me.
“When you’re on holiday, you’re thinking about what will happen. I was away, but I couldn’t relax completely.
“Although I didn’t play enough at Tottenham Hotspur, he (Van Gaal) called me up for the important qualification matches against Montenegro and Norway, he let me play in Montenegro and I was in the starting line-up against the Norwegians.
“It’s just better if I play week in, week out. Physically it is difficult to play three matches a week at the World Cup if you have not made enough minutes at your club.”
