Broken Promises: The Lost Peace

• Thierry Boon

  reporter NOS Sport

With the arrival of Jordi Cruijff as technical director on February 1, Alex Kroes’ work at Ajax is over. The 52-year-old businessman came with a lot of fanfare and expectations, but leaves through the Amsterdam back door after an anything but smooth period.

Kroes has no need for a farewell interview. It’s telling. In the 21 months that he was in power as technical director, he was unable to make an indelible impression. Based on his own objectives, we take stock of Kroes’ two years at Ajax.

His choice of John Heitinga as head coach before the start of this season ultimately proved fatal. But in fact, since missing out on the national title last season under Francesco Farioli, Ajax has been in a free fall that has still not stopped.

Not only Farioli went. Club icon and football man on the supervisory board Danny Blind, Kroes’ sounding board on transfers, also announced his departure. Blind did this after Kroes ignored his advice for the umpteenth time.

That worked. And faster than expected, namely in Kroes’ first full season, with the previously mentioned Italian trainer Farioli. His more defensive approach appeared to work for the Ajax selection. It is not without reason that interim coach Fred Grim is currently returning to this.

Missing out on the championship, after a nerve-wracking ending, hurt in Amsterdam, but the millions for participation in the Champions League eased the suffering somewhat.

Here too there is a comment to be made. This season, Ajax is miles away from competing for the national title and it is impossible for Kroes to be sportingly satisfied.

The upward trend of his first year has turned into a stumble, with Ajax just not seeming to stop rolling.

A difficult one. Because to what extent can the current integration of Sean Steur, Rayane Bounida and Aaron Bouwman be attributed to Kroes? The Ajax talents are now getting playing time, but things were different under Heitinga, who was fired in November.

And wasn’t it Kroes who, on the advice of Heitinga, hired the young midfielder James McConnell from Liverpool? And with Ko Itakura he bought a central defender for more than 10 million euros, while Blind, for example, would have preferred to see Bouwman prepared?

There is no doubt about it: he succeeded. Ajax’s salary structure is much more in order than a few years ago. Although there are also some nuances to be made. Kroes was unable to sell some purchases from Sven Mislintat, his criticized predecessor who was described by Kroes as a master swindler.

Chuba Akpom, Sivert Mannsverk, Gastón Ávila and Branco van den Boomen have been loaned out. If they return to Ajax, the costs will increase again. That still limits Ajax (read: soon to be Cruijff) on the current transfer market.

Kroes’ transfer balance is over a hundred million euros plus, partly thanks to the transfer fees for Jorrel Hato (44 million), Steven Bergwijn (21 million) and Brian Brobbey (20 million). But what value has Kroes himself created in the current selection?

In three transfer periods he has not yet supplied Ajax with any pearls, but mainly older players (Wout Weghorst, Itakura, Kasper Dolberg) without much residual value. Major purchase Oscar Gloukh (14.75 million) is not yet fully profitable and Raúl Moro (11 million) has again been sold at a loss.

And so the conclusion is that Kroes will look back on his period at his club with mixed feelings. It was never really quiet. Financially, steps have been taken, but sportingly speaking, Kroes had hoped for more.

It is now up to Cruijff to ensure that.