Francesco Farioli has responded for the first time to his appointment as head coach of Ajax. On Thursday evening, the Amsterdam team confirmed the arrival of the 35-year-old coach, who has signed a three-year contract.

Farioli's contract starts on June 11 and runs until June 30, 2027. He will succeed interim coach John van 't Schip at Ajax, who replaced the dismissed Maurice Steijn at the end of October. Van 't Schip led Ajax from virtual last place to fifth place in the Eredivisie.

Technical director Alex Kroes is very positive about the appointment of the Italian coach, he said through official channels. “Francesco is a trainer who is passionate about his profession, who thinks through everything in detail and can convey his thoughts well to his team.”

“We became very enthusiastic about the conversations we had with him. But also because of the information we had already collected about him before then. For example, about his working method and his way of thinking about football. You can clearly see his way of working and thinking in his training and during competitions.”

“Everything shows that Francesco is an intelligent man who can deal well with people and that is also a very important part of the profession,” says Kroes. “All in all, we are convinced that he fits Ajax.”

Farioli himself is logically looking forward to the new challenge. “I am very happy to be here in Amsterdam, together with the other staff members we will work with full dedication. We want to go back to basics and connect with what Ajax stands for. We also want to bring new energy with a positive way of working and thinking.”

“I am aware that there is a lot of work to do, but we have already started preparing,” Farioli concluded. “We don't want to waste any time and are already preparing for the start of the season, to bring Ajax back to where it belongs.”

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