Oct 24, 2023 at 12:01 Update: 4 minutes ago
John van ‘t Schip is in discussions with Ajax about the succession of Maurice Steijn. The 59-year-old trainer confirmed this on Tuesday NOS.
It is not clear whether this is an interim position or permanent succession, but Van ‘t Schip does say that he is “indeed in discussions” with Ajax. He was initially going to take on a more managerial role at the Amsterdam club, but now appears to be being moved on.
Van ‘t Schip went through Ajax’s youth academy and played for the club for eleven years. The 41-time Dutch international was also a youth coach in Amsterdam, assistant coach with the first team and head coach of Jong Ajax. He was national coach of Greece until 2021.
A few days after it was announced that Van ‘t Schip would join the technical heart of Ajax, his wife Daniëlle van ‘t Schip (59) died. She had been seriously ill for some time. Van ‘t Schip previously did not want to comment on his appointment. “Private circumstances take precedence first,” he said two weeks ago.
Ajax and Maurice Steijn decided on Monday to end the collaboration immediately. Photo: ANP
Ajax performed dramatically under Steijn
Under the leadership of Steijn, who left on Monday, Ajax has been performing dramatically for months. In the Eredivisie, the Amsterdam team won only once: in the first round against Heracles Almelo (4-1). Afterwards, Ajax suffered serious defeats with unrecognizable football against rivals Feyenoord (0-4) and AZ (1-2), among others. The club is only seventeenth.
Steijn came over from Sparta Rotterdam in June on the recommendation of then director of football affairs Sven Mislintat and signed for three years. He succeeded interim coach John Heitinga, who had taken over from the dismissed Alfred Schreuder in January.
Van ‘t Schip was already mentioned as a potential successor immediately after Steijn’s departure. Hedwiges Maduro, Steijn’s former assistant, will do the honors for the time being.
With Maduro in front of the group, Ajax faces a tough week. The Amsterdam team will visit Brighton & Hove Albion in the Europa League on Thursday and will play against undefeated leader PSV in the Eredivisie on Sunday.
2023-10-24 10:01:59
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