Maurice Steijn wants to add Anwar El Ghazi to the Ajax selection, reports Mike Verweij The Telegraph. The Ajax coach became convinced during training of the added value of the clubless right winger, who had his contract terminated with PSV on Deadline Day. Sven Mislintat seems to be blocking the arrival of El Ghazi for the time being.
Although the director of football affairs bought new players for Ajax for 108 million euros, the Amsterdam team does not have a single pure right winger. Steijn’s experiment with Chuba Akpom in that position failed miserably against FC Twente (3-1 loss). The 28-year-old El Ghazi has been training with Ajax since last week and would love to sign a contract in the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Verweij reports. El Ghazi played one hundred official matches for Ajax between 2014 and 2017 (23 goals, 16 assists).
“Anwar El Ghazi is training with us. That boy is willing to give up money,” says Verweij in the podcast Kickoff. The journalist previously reported that El Ghazi was still entitled to three million euros at PSV for his final year of contract. “He has just become a father, he just wants to stay in the Netherlands in principle. He has a very lucrative offer from ‘the sandbox’, I don’t know which club, but he can go there. He wants to stay with Ajax. Steijn wants him, the The rest of the staff wants him, Richard Witschge (technique trainer, ed.) wants him. Even Jan van Halst (temporary general manager, ed.) wants him. Why isn’t this happening?”
According to Verweij, the financial aspect cannot be an argument. “Ajax has saved millions in salaries by letting all the expensive boys go. Why don’t you get El Ghazi? This is a gamble that you can’t afford to lose. I find it incomprehensible.” Valentijn Driessen expects an exciting internal battle at Ajax. “If everyone wants him, where does the power lie at Ajax?” Driessen wonders. “Behind the scenes there is a battle going on between Maurice Steijn and Sven Milsintat. What role does Jan van Halst play in this as titular general director? Is he advocating for the arrival of El Ghazi or not? I am very curious about that. This situation between Steijn and Mislintat does not seem sustainable for long to me.”