Ajax today named John Van’ t Schip as interim coach until the end of the season.
The Amsterdammers sacked Maurice Steijn last week and appointed Hedwiges Maduro as caretaker but the change failed to have an instant impact as they were thrashed 5-2 at PSV Eindhoven yesterday to drop to the foot of the Eredivisie.
It’s a remarkable fall from grace for one of Europe’s most decorated clubs and today they turned to former midfielder Van ‘t Schip in the hope he can stop the rot.
The 59-year-old, who made 273 appearances for Ajax from 1981 to 1992, will coach the first team until the end of the current campaign before taking on a role in the technical department from July 1, 2024.
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— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) October 30, 2023
Hapoel Tel Aviv boss Michael Valkanis has left the Israeli club to become his assistant.
“I’m very happy that the deal is done and I’m eager to start at the club where it once all began for me,” said Van ‘t Schip, who has also coached Greece and the Netherlands, as well as holding five different roles at Ajax over a long coaching career.
“The conversations with all the people involved resulted in a great feeling for me. Ajax needs to find the way up again and I’m happy to help in that matter.”
Ajax CEO Jan van Halst added: “John is a real Ajax man, who has a lot of national and international experience, on the field and next to it.
“To us he is the right person to give a positive turn to our performances. First as head coach of the first team, for the long term we see a different technical role for him.
“John has already successfully worked with Michael Valkanis as assistant trainer, and we think that Michael is a welcome addition to our technical staff.”
