Premier League underachievers Everton are reportedly keen to hire Ajax’s Eredivisie winning coach Ten Hag if Marco Silva leaves Goodison Park.
Has Erik Ten Hag already taken Ajax as far as he possibly can?
The 2018/19 campaign was straight out of a Hollywood script with the Amsterdam giants winning the Eredivisie title for the first time in five years. Then, they lifted the KNVB Cup too.
And if it wasn’t for a stoppage time Lucas Moura strike, it would have been Ajax, rather than Tottenham, going head-to-head with Liverpool in the Champions League final, having outclassed Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the semi-finals.
Of course, there is no reason why Ajax cannot continue their dominance of Dutch football this season. They kept hold of the majority of their star players over the summer before starting the new Eredivisie season with eight wins out of 10.
But Ten Hag, the former Bayern Munich reserve coach who looks every inch Holland’s answer to Pep Guardiola with a dazzling tactical brain ticking under that hairless scalp, has plenty of admirers outside of the Dutch capital.
According to 90Min, Everton director Marcel Brands has made him The Toffees’ number one target should the perennial underachievers lose faith with Marco Silva. Bayern, who look a shadow of their former selves under Niko Kovac, have also been tipped to bring the 49-year-old back to Bavaria.
“I do not rule out anything,” said the former Utrecht coach when asked about his future, speaking to Kicker.
“But I’m almost 50 and not a dreamer. If (a departure) comes – or does not come – I’m totally happy and happy with Ajax, even though I know that I will not be a coach here for 10 years.”
Reading between the lines, Ten Hag is clearly loving life at Ajax but could find it tough to turn down a chance to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues. But are Everton really in a position to lure him away from a bonafide Champions League force?
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