Ryan Gravenberch done, Timber next: How Ajax keep producing players for Europe's elite

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 13 Jun 2022 12:27 BST
• 5 min read

At Ajax, as one star goes, another is always in the making, and that has been the mantra for decades, with the Amsterdam club producing players for the grandest stages for a long time.

That was the case with Ryan Gravenberch, who broke into the Ajax senior set-up under Erik ten Hag and is now set for a move away to German record champions Bayern Munich following a few impressive years in the Eredivisie.

The philosophy at Ajax has always been to develop from within as much as possible – they don’t intend to buy from others unless they can’t promote from their own youngsters, and they’ve reaped the rewards for it.

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There was a time not so long ago where Ajax weren’t able to produce stars from their academy as frequently as possible, but that has now changed and Gravenberch is an example of it.

That came in the middle of the 2000s, when Ajax’s philosophy changed as they focused more on signings, neglecting the academy in the process, but Johan Cruyff’s intervention in 2010 changed that, and Ajax have benefitted.

Since then, Ajax have once again focused on working on their own, developing players such as Jurrien Timber, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek and Gravenberch is the latest on the list.

How Ajax made their academy great again

This came as a result of several changes: firstly, in coaching, as Ajax returned to the aim of playing not just to win, but to develop as footballers.

Cruyff felt Ajax’s youth were too focused on winning titles at a young age which, while it was important, was not the utmost priority during his upbringing and that produced a host of legendary names over the years.

Kids are now recommended to spend 10,000 hours on the pitch as part of their development over the years, which is seen as the optimal amount to grow and develop to a Champions League level, which was Ajax aim for.

To help with the coaching, Ajax employed people who previously went through the Ajax academy and had successful careers – former defender John Heitinga is currently the U21s coach, for example, while Ronald de Boer is a mentor.

Secondly, there was an improvement in technology and facilities, as Ajax invested further into their De Toekomst venue, such as using Virtual Reality to assist players and data tools to understand players’ fitness better.

They’ve also employed people in that regard to assist them, the most notable being Max Reckers, who worked with Louis van Gaal at AZ, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and the Dutch national team.

Reckers is the consultant Ajax go to for all things technology, helping set up the Adidas miCoach Performance Centre (a centre to track player growth) at the De Toekomst facility and is an invaluable member at the club.

Additionally, there’s a change in scouting: Ajax conduct internal and external scouting; starting from within, they have the Talent Day, where many hopeful footballers essentially trial for the club, hoping to get noticed.

Away from that, there are 50 scouts that scour the Netherlands, going through local leagues and tournaments, street events and others to find the best talent from across the country.

According to the CIES Football Observatory, in the 2021/22 season, there were 81 Ajax-trained players playing in Europe’s top 31 leagues – more than any other club in Europe.

In the Eredivisie itself, it’s believed that at any given point, there are 35 Ajax-trained players playing across the league – a nod to their successful methods and how useful the club are to the rest of the league.

Gravenberch’s move to Bayern Munich is another indication of how successful Ajax have been in this regard over the last decade, and he may not be the last to move this summer.

Timber is linked with a move to Manchester United, with former boss Ten Hag already having gone to Old Trafford – the defender could transfer for a big fee, and Ajax will have produced another fine player for one of Europe’s elite.