Valentijn Driessen is still not impressed by Sébastien Haller. The journalist of The Telegraph said in August that Ajax ‘cannot enter the Champions League’ with the striker, but three months later Haller is shared top scorer of the billion-dollar ball with nine goals. On Wednesday he guided Ajax as a substitute past Besiktas with two goals in the second half (1-2). “If I had stood there, I would have shot them too.”
“They are all typists,” says Driessen, who does qualify his statement: he acknowledges that Haller has certain qualities. Ajax’s record purchase was twice in the right place to finish up close. “Coincidentally, I was talking about it with Wim Kieft, who has been a striker at Ajax and in the Dutch national team, so he knows it well. He also said: standing there at that moment is also a quality. I probably had it there. not stood.”
“But he also had an assumption that you think: it doesn’t look like it,” adds Driessen, referring to the match against Besiktas. “When he has to be there, he is there again, with the caveat that Besiktas is the number nine in Turkey. But of course it is a great achievement.” Nevertheless, there is open discussion about the interpretation of the striker position at Ajax. It is reported that Luuk de Jong is in the picture to strengthen the selection.
“Now Haller did not participate in the first half, then they missed him anyway. Tadic used to be the stand-in, but that is no longer the alternative, that has become apparent. After the departure of Brobbey and Traoré, Ajax actually has no replacement for Haller”, Driessen knows. “I can imagine that they call Sevilla to say: we want to take him over from Barcelona. PSV was also mentioned, but I think Ajax would need him more than PSV. You can certainly do well with Luuk de Jong nationally. the day will come.”