John van 't Schip was not in favor of a winter departure of Chuba Akpom from Ajax, the trainer said at the press conference prior to Ajax – PSV. The Englishman was able to leave on Deadline Day after a specific offer from Nottingham Forest, but Akpom ultimately stayed in Amsterdam. Van 't Schip was very pleased with that.

“It was very clear to me,” the trainer begins his answer to a question from ESPN-journalist Cristian Willaert about Akpom. “I don't want to lose Chuba, he is important to us.”

“For me it was one no goVan 't Schip continues his story. “Not that I decide that. But it is not the case that an amount was immediately deposited, it was on a lending basis. We are not going to participate in that anyway.”

Mike Verweij, Ajax club watcher on behalf of The Telegraph, picks up on the conversation about Akpom and points out to Van 't Schip the fact that Ajax submitted a counter-proposal to Forest. “It was apparently not for the club management no go?”

“What I said… If they had paid an amount in one go, it would be a different story. That must have been the counter offer, but I don't know. I wasn't there, Mike,” the coach continues cryptically. .

The press conference also discussed Julian Rijkhoff, who was permanently taken over from Borussia Dortmund on Thursday. In principle, the nineteen-year-old striker will initially join the Amsterdam promising team, Van 't Schip said.

“He will train with us (the first selection, ed). And then it is up to him to show through matches at Jong Ajax and also during training that he can be of value to the first team.”

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