Jordi Cruyff has made his first big move back at Ajax, and it’s one nobody was expecting.
Miguel Angel Sanchez Muñoz, better known as Michel, has been named as the Eredivisie side’s new head coach.
In a statement, he said: “Ajax is a big name in Europe, a club that always produces young and good players.
“Jordi knows me from my work in Spain; we have spoken together about the club’s philosophy, about how I work, and how that will come together.
“He has expressed his full confidence in me, and together with the other people within the club, we are starting a new challenge.
“The goal is to get Ajax back to where it belongs, and I have every confidence that we will succeed.”
Michel was long identified as one of the best up-and-coming coaches, taking City Group-owned Girona into the Champions League.
However, things dropped off considerably over the past two seasons, culminating in LaLiga relegation.
Cruyff, who joined at Ajax director of football in December, has clearly seen enough from Michel’s early promise to take the risk.
Cruyff added: “Michel is an ambitious and demanding coach.
“I am convinced that he will convey his vision and his intensive way of working to our squad. I know him well and have been following him for years.
“His way of working suits Ajax. Now that this important position has been filled, we can continue building on improving the squad.”
The 50-year-old arrived in Amsterdam to put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal.
Michel also has some Ajax experience himself, having coached Daley Blind and Donny van de Beek in Spain.
Ajax to sign Ceballos
However, he’ll be heavily relying on another midfielder – Dani Ceballos.
Mundo Deportivo report that Ajax have agreed a €6million deal with Real Madrid for the three-time Champions League winner.
Ceballos’ preference was to return to Real Betis, but the Spanish side aren’t willing to pay a fee when they previously offered him a return for free.
Cruyff has reportedly been working on the deal for weeks.
Big problems at Ajax
Ajax have been in trouble when it comes to coaching for the past few seasons and haven’t settled on a manager since Erik ten Hag’s departure.
They showed a brief improvement under Francisco Farioli in the 2024/25 season, but a later Eredivisie title collapse saw him leave for FC Porto.
John Heitinga started the season, but was sacked, as was interim Fred Grim.
Youth team coach Oscar Garcia was then named yet another interim, and managed to get the team in the Conference League after a fifth-place league finish.
There’s still plenty of room for improvement at Ajax, though, with striker Wout Weghorst giving a brutal end of season audit.
“It should be clear that the season didn’t go as it should have,” he commented.
“I also hope that this serves as a lesson for everyone at the club, that you do not achieve success this way. The people responsible for this must learn from it.
“It is very important to focus on the long term, on structure, and on stability.
“Looking only at the short term is dangerous if you want to safeguard the continuity of the club.”
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