Gerard Nijkamp looks back on his collaboration with Maurice Steijn at Sparta Rotterdam with a good feeling. The technical director of the Lords of the castle hesitates Good morning Eredivisie However, not to highlight a bad quality of Ajax’s trainer. Nijkamp also goes into more detail about how transfers were handled when Steijn was still associated with Sparta.
“Maurice is really fearless. He knows very well where he wants to go and that is the path he takes. I also think Maurice is a good communicator,” Nijkamp says. ESPN complimentary towards Steijn. And then to point out a negative point in the character of the Hague coach. “But he does have to count to ten every now and then, but that also applies to me. In this world we don’t get time. We have to act, but sometimes you also have to let things slide,” Steijn is given as advice. .
Gerard Nijkamp has always consulted well with Maurice Steijn about purchases ?? “Agreed that we both have a veto”
— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) September 17, 2023
Transfers
Steijn recently said that he had little influence on the incoming transfers at Ajax and that technical director Sven Mislintat was leading in this. Nijkamp emphasized in the talk program on Sunday that a completely different working method is used at Sparta and that both gentlemen had ‘a veto’ when it came to attracting new players. “When the technical director or head coach says that there is no good feeling with a player, then it is a no-go… “, explains the experienced director. “Maurice was also allowed to refer players to us. He is of course seasoned in football, so I listen to that. It’s about communication, working towards something together.”
“We did 80 to 85 percent based on the process we use. Playing style and profiles, we then look for players. We then present that to the staff. And based on that there is a click with a player or not. But someone from the staff can also nominate a player,” Nijkamp adds. The ‘td’ said goodbye to Steijn last summer, who narrowly missed out on European football with Sparta and then moved to Ajax. Sparta moved quickly and appointed Jeroen Rijsdijk as his successor.