Ajax has not had a serious interest in Eran Zahavi, assures trainer Erik ten Hag. In front of the camera of FOX Sports Ten Hag indicated on Sunday afternoon that although Zahavi was offered in Amsterdam, Ajax did not consider the possibility of taking over the striker from Guangzhou R&F. Earlier on Sunday he was presented as the newest addition of PSV.

With his statement Ten Hag invalidates earlier reports of Football International and the Eindhovens Dagblad. Shortly after the official announcement of his to PSV, the weekly and the regional newspaper claimed that Ajax wanted to prevent the transfer from Zahavi to Eindhoven at the last minute. Soccer director Marc Overmars is said to have made an ‘ultimate attempt’ for the 33-year-old goal-getter from Israel.

“It’s the other way around”, Ten Hag reacts just before the duel with RKC Waalwijk to the suggestion that Ajax reported for the rush hour. “He was handed over to us by his agents. We looked into it and eventually we didn’t do it.” When reporter Milan van Dongen of FOX Sports To confirm whether Ajax had indeed made no attempt, the coach replies: “Again: his agents have left this player with us”.

Ten Hag finally agrees that Ajax already has enough strikers in the selection, including Dusan Tadic, Lassina Traoré and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who feel at home in that position. In the home game with RKC he opts for Zakaria Labyad at the forefront.