[OPINION] Ajax Football Club's Revival: Alex Kroes Takes Charge for Strong Progress
Here is my opinion on Alex Kroes, Ajax's new GM for 2024.
Ajax Football Club has found a man to help guide the club to stability, making Alex Kroes its new General Manager.
Kroes, who is AZ Alkmaar’s International Football Strategy Director, will begin his duties next year on March 15. Here is some background information on Ajax’s new General Manager, who will be replacing the club’s former CEO, Edwin van der Sar.
Early career
Kroes has spent the majority of his life in football. He previously played at Ajax’s youth level but was unable to make it into the first team. He would study business and economics at VU in Amsterdam and start a telemarketing company, before becoming a football agent at 26.¹
He co-founded the sporting management group SEG International. A large part of Kroes’ role was to expand the business by bringing in more agents around the world through a franchise model - which has given him plenty of experience when it comes to negotiating player transfers and contracts.²
Read More:
He became the owner of the Dutch side Go Ahead Eagles in 2019, buying the club with the majority of his shares from his sporting agency empire. However, he would leave the club in 2022, when they reached the Eredivisie from the second division.³
Currently, he helps build AZ’s international relationships and promotes youth player development at the club on a global scale.⁴ Its youth team (Under-19s) have been dominant this year, winning The UEFA Youth League, similar to The Champions League, becoming the first side from The Netherlands to win the trophy.⁵
How he can help the club
Kroes’ skills and prior experience will help the club create a philosophy for transfers. The team needs a significant rebuild in pretty much all areas of the park. Ajax fans believe the team has zero attacking or defensive plan. They play over-the-top balls to players such as Steven Bergwijn with the hope of getting points. Playing low-possession counter-attacking football is something the fans despise and will only create hostility within the fanbase.
Other reads:
Recent reports also show Kroes has already begun looking into the club’s previous transfers. Former technical director Sven Mislintat helped Ajax spend 108 million euros on 12 new players. Kroes has questioned both the quality of the players and the transfer fees paid.⁶
I don’t think this is entirely Mislintat’s fault, even though I do think his transfer activity for Ajax was dodgy. When he arrived at the club, Ajax tasked him to reduce the wage salary at the club (€150m). Van der Sar was responsible for the club’s bad transfers too. His decision to instruct Mislintat to cut the wage bill is one reason why Ajax is in trouble. Finding new transfers to replace players such as Antony and Lisandro Martinez is another issue the club didn’t fix.
Kroes’ appointment as Ajax’s new General Manager is a good choice. He has experience in creating strong youth setups at AZ and has a keen eye for business. Yet his appointment is a gamble, with how unstable the club is now.
Stay in the game! Don't miss out on the latest soccer news, insights, and updates. Subscribe to our newsletter today.
1 How rich is new Ajax boss Alex Kroes? - https://www.quotenet.nl/sport/a44997499/hoe-rijk-is-ajax-baas-alex-kroes-az/
2 From Agent to Owner: A view from both sides of the transfer table - https://blog.transferroom.com/from-agent-to-owner-a-life-on-both-sides-of-the-transfer-table
3 Ibid 1
4 Kroes lands key Director role at AZ Alkmaar - https://blog.transferroom.com/kroes-lands-key-director-role-at-az-alkmaar
5AZ Alkmaar use BrainsFirst test to identify best young talent and it has helped them win UEFA Youth League - https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12871411/az-alkmaar-use-brainsfirst-test-to-identify-best-young-talent-and-it-has-helped-them-win-uefa-youth-league
6 ALEX KROES DID HIS OWN RESEARCH INTO MISLINTAT TRANSFERS AND CAME TO A CLEAR CONCLUSION - https://onefootball.com/it/notizie/alex-kroes-deed-zelf-onderzoek-naar-transfers-mislintat-en-kwam-tot-duidelijke-conclusie-38254058