Both the Netherlands national team and Ajax have a number of fantastic young players at their disposal right now, but this is not particularly new. The Netherlands has long had a fantastic conveyor-belt of talent despite the modest size of the country, whilst Ajax undoubtedly have one of the finest academies in world football.
Given the success of both Ajax in the Eredivisie and the Champions League, and the Netherlands in the Nations League this season though, we thought we’d do a quick Ajax-based seven. Frank De Boer spent six years managing Ajax, before having stints at Inter Milan and Crystal Palace that were so brief you could be forgiven for sleeping through them. He won four Eredivisie titles and promoted plenty of youth during his time in Amsterdam though, and today we wanted to look back on some of those young players and debutants.
Now, originally this was going to be De Boer’s first 7 debutants, but I mucked that up, so instead it’s just seven of my choice, although it’s probably more interesting for you that way since they’re picked for a reason.
Here are 7 Ajax debutants under Frank de Boer: Where are they now?
7. Jairo Riedewald – Crystal Palace
Fifty-one players made their Ajax debuts under Frank De Boer, but we’re only going to look at seven here today, starting with Netherlands international Jairo Riedewald. A versatile footballer who can play at left-back, centre-back and in holding midfield, Riedewald joined the Ajax academy at the age of 11. He made his debut under De Boer in December 2013, and went on to register over 90 appearances at the Johan Cruyff Arena. Riedewald left Ajax in July 2017 in a move to Crystal Palace, and he failed to register a single Premier League appearance last season.
6. Arkadiusz Milik – Napoli
Arkadiusz Milik of SSC Napoli in action during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and FC Internazionale at Stadio San Paolo on May 19, 2019 in Naples, Italy.
Around half of Frank de Boer’s debutants were youth graduates and the other half were signed by the club, and Arkadiusz Milik falls into that category. In fact, the Polish centre-forward spent just a single season permanently contracted to Ajax, plus an additional one on-loan. He scored 47 goals in 75 games in those two campaigns, preceding a €35 million transfer to Napoli. Following a couple of injury-plagued campaigns, the gifted 25-year-old bagged 20 goals in 47 games last season, but he has the potential to be even more prolific next season.
5. Davy Klaassen – Werder Bremen
Whilst Ajax has gifted the world with some of its finest footballing prospects, not all have gone on to have had such glittering careers as Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten after impressing in Amsterdam. Davy Klaassen is one such player who looked brilliant in the Dutch capital, scoring 20 goals from midfield in his final campaign, before looking thoroughly mediocre at Everton. He joined Werder Bremen last summer, where he’s done okay, but he could be forgiven for wishing he could have been back in that Ajax midfield this season.
4. Viktor Fischer – FC Copenhagen
Viktor Fischer of FC Copenhagen looks dejected after a missed goal during the Danish Superliga match between Esbjerg fB and FC Copenhagen at Blue Water Arena on May 19, 2019 in Esbjerg,…
When Viktor Fischer made his Ajax debut back in October 2012, he was among the hottest property in the European game. Following his performances in the 2013 U17 World Cup and at the 2012 NextGen Series, Fischer was being chased by the likes of Chelsea, Inter Milan and both Manchester clubs. He did break into the Ajax side, but he never really pushed on beyond his 12 goals in 33 games in his debut campaign. Tough seasons in England and Germany followed, before Fischer fell in love with the game again in his native Denmark. He’s had an excellent 18 months at FC Copenhagen as one of the best players in the Danish Superliga.
3. Anwar El Ghazi – Aston Villa
Having spent last season on-loan at Aston Villa, Anwar El Ghazi joined the Premier League new boys on a permanent transfer this week. A really versatile footballer who is probably at his most comfortable on the right wing, El Ghazi was sent off for Villa against Leeds in a decision that was later rescinded with Patrick Bamford being judged to have deceived the match officials. El Ghazi came back to score the opener in Villa’s 2-1 play-off final win over Derby, and he recently signed for Dean Smith’s side on a permanent deal worth a reported £8 million from Lille.
2. Jasper Cillessen – Barcelona
Jasper Cillessen of the Netherlands walks along the Nations League Trophy after losing the final during the UEFA Nations League final match between Portugal and The Netherlands at Estadio…
Jasper Cillessen is a goalkeeper in the rare position of being his country’s number one but not his clubs, playing second fiddle to the excellent Marc-Andre ter Stegen at Barcelona. Cillessen spent five years at Ajax, where he was number one for three seasons, before joining Barcelona for an initial €13 million. Capped 48 times by the Netherlands, the 30-year-old shot stopper has made 32 appearances in three seasons at the Camp Nou.
1. Donny van de Beek – Ajax
I didn’t want to include more than one player who is still at Ajax in this seven, and in the end I’ve opted for Donny van de Beek in favour of Joel Veltman and Lasse Schone. The fact that van de Beek made his debut under De Boer shows that the 22-year-old has been around for a while now, but he’s really exploded into life over these last two seasons. The well-rounded young midfielder can play anywhere in the middle of the park, from a deep-lying role to closer to the forward players. He’s smart, technical and more than capable of chipping in with a goal, as he has shown with 28 goals in the last two seasons, including strikes against both Tottenham and Juventus in this seasons Champions League run.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
