Football News: Erik Ten Hag, Ajax’s £1bn man
Since joining Ajax from FC Utrecht in 2017, ten Hag has amassed an unbelievable sum of money for the club.
The staggering £210 million transfer window for Ajax ended with the £86 million sale of Brazilian winger Antony to Old Trafford. The South American star followed the £57 million move of Argentinean defender Lisandro Martinez to United.
Ajax had just finished another bank-busting window when Sebastien Haller, Ryan Gravenberch, Perr Schuurs, and Nicholas Tagliafico—all recruited by ten Hag—were all sold.
In just five years, it increased the combined sales of eleven Hag players to a massive £580 million, and that’s just one example of his economic effect on the Amsterdam club.
The 52-year-old manager led Ajax to the Champions League for five straight seasons, securing a £250 million cash stream.
The club’s reputation on the market was enhanced by winning the league and making it to the semifinals of the Champions League, which led to improvements in commercial deals worth £150 million.
The Ajax success story bears ten Hag’s fingerprints all over it, and there is a belief at Old Trafford that United can profit from his efforts.
Ten Hag has a reputation for developing players wherever he has worked as a coach, resulting in a monetary incentive when sold.
Unlike the Dutch champions Ajax, who have a distinct transfer strategy due to their limited finances, United is not a selling club.
But United supporters have always believed that the Reds don’t produce as much money from player sales as their competitors, Premier League heavyweights Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Ten Hag may have left Ajax for England, but in Amsterdam, where he frequently formed new teams and offloaded star players like Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt, he is revered as a messiah.
Before he went for Old Trafford, Ajax chief executive and former United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar told him, “Your contribution is not something we forget, it has been incredibly outstanding.”
That’s why Ten Hag will always be a legend at Ajax for a billion reasons.
The post Football News: Erik Ten Hag, Ajax’s £1bn man appeared first on The12thMan.
