The official website of Dutch giants Ajax this week shares an interview with Newcastle United defender Sven Botman.
The 23-year-old was a product of the Eredivisie side’s academy, and had many stories to tell about his development there.
Botman has a lot of appreciation for what he learned at Ajax, and still remembers the people who helped him long before he joined Newcastle.
“John Heitinga was the best coach I had. He helped me to become a mature football player,” Botman told Ajax’s official channels.
“It was my second home and made me the person I am today. At Newcastle, players often tell me that they have never seen a central defender play football that well. I was not always the best at Ajax, but the way of playing taught me what I know now.”
Botman was part of Ajax’s youth ranks between 2009 and 2020. He was still part of their B squad when he was sold to Lille for €8m.
His two years in France were more than enough to draw interest from several European sides, with Newcastle winning the race last summer to sign him in a €37m transfer.
That worked well for the Magpies, as he had 44 appearances in his first season, and Transfermarkt now already value him at €45m.
