Ajax have doubled down on their faith in John Heitinga as head coach, though there are claims of internal confusion over one of his signings from Liverpool.
Heitinga finds himself under mounting external pressure just months after returning to Ajax.
The Dutch club are currently third in the Eredivisie – six points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven – and while they are unbeaten domestically they have only won four of their eight league games.
That has led many fans and pundits to call for Heitinga to be sacked, not helped by losing both of their Champions League games so far.
But Ajax have defied the clamour for a new head coach and instead promoted academy chief Fred Grim to a role as Heitinga’s assistant.
“John, Marijn [Beuker, sporting director] and I were looking for reinforcements for the coaching staff. John suggested adding Fred Grim,” Ajax technical director Alex Kroes explained on Tuesday.
“With Fred, we’re bringing in quality and a wealth of experience, both on the pitch and on the bench during matches.
“We want to further strengthen the staff around the team, with the goal of improving both our sporting results and the development of the game and the individual players.”
There could be suspicions of Grim being lined up as an eventual successor to Heitinga if he is moved on – with the 60-year-old already an experienced head coach who was last in charge of FC Emmen in 2023/24.
But that he was promoted on Heitinga’s recommendation suggests that Ajax are fully behind their current head coach despite a struggle for consistency.
That does not mean there is total harmony behind the scenes, with journalist Johan Inan claiming in a lengthy report for Algemeen Dagblad that there is uncertainty over Kroes’ work as technical director.
‘Surprise’ at McConnell deal
This includes a disagreement over the late loan move for Liverpool midfielder James McConnell, who was also a signing prompted by Heitinga himself.
McConnell’s arrival at Ajax was “to the surprise of the scouting team,” with Inan explaining that his involvement has come at the expense of homegrown youngster Jorthy Mokio.
There appears a confusion whether the 20-year-old needed to be signed in the first place as “supporters see 10 midfielders but no capable left-back or experienced controlling player.”
“[Kroes] sought a Dutch manager to counter internal and external resistance to a progressive, foreign manager,” Inan added.
“And just like two years ago, Kroes is also in danger of having to acknowledge a completely failed appointment this autumn.”
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