Former Ajax manager Frank de Boer believes the Champions League pacesetters have the funds to sign Steven Bergwijn from Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, speaking to RTL, via Voetbal Primeur.
At lot has changed at the Johan Cruyff Arena since De Boer completed a £300,000 deal to sign highly rated Groningen winger Tobias Sana in 2012.
Even in De Boer’s wildest dreams, a player like Bergwijn would have been well out of his reach.
Erik ten Hag, however, isn’t limited by such stringent financial restrictions.
Ajax have signed nine players for fees in excess of £10 million since 2018, including Dusan Tadic, Antony, Davy Klaassen and the Champions League record-breaker Sebastien Haller.
“Now they can buy Haller for £22 million!” says De Boer, who won nine Eredivisie titles as a player and manager at Ajax.
“I had to do with Sana, for example. And if a player cost five million, we had to sell two (others) first. That’s the big difference.
“They can now take a risk and buy Haller. In my time, you had to sell someone before you could buy someone. That was correct because, at the time, we were not as strong financially – not as (Ajax are) now.”
Is Steven Bergwijn leaving Spurs for Ajax?
Bergwijn has fallen out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur since Antonio Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo in the dugout.
He’s played just 13 minutes of Premier League football so far.
And, according to De Telegraaf, Bergwijn could be set for a return to his native Netherlands. Ajax are keen on a player who spent time in their feted academy before joining bitter rivals PSV Eindhoven a decade ago.
“Since my time, the annual budget has gone from six million to something like thirteen million,” says De Boer, adding that Ajax have the financial might to match Bergwijn’s wage demands.
“That is a good combination with players you can get, such as Bergwijn. Players also see that it is a fantastic stepping stone. You get paid well, but it is also the best for your career.”
“(A yearly salary of) one million was the maximum. Now, I think the best players earn four million. That is why players want to go to Ajax.”
Swapping Spurs for Ajax in January would also see Bergwijn swap the UEFA Conference League for the Champions League knock-out stages.
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