Ajax eyeing move for Liverpool director

Karan Tejwani

• 8 Feb 2023 10:15 GMT
• 4 min read

Julian Ward is in the picture to become the new technical director of Ajax, De Telegraaf said on Tuesday evening.

Ward works as the sporting director at Liverpool, where he acts as the right-hand man to manager Jürgen Klopp.

The 41-year-old Englishman has a good reputation in England and, according to the newspaper, has a much better reputation than Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Gerry Hamstra. AZ's Alex Kroes has said no to Ajax.

Ward has brought in big players at Liverpool and specializes in the Brazilian and Portuguese markets. In recent years, he has had a hand in the arrival of Fabinho, Darwin Nuñez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz, among others, to Anfield.

Ward, who speaks several languages fluently, also has experience as a scout and has been on the Liverpool payroll for over ten years in total.

He was part of the club's most successful period of the century.

Liverpool were internally in shock when he announced in November that he wanted to do leave at the end of this season.

His departure from the Merseyside club on July 1 has now been officially confirmed.

In the broadcast of Veronica Offside on Tuesday evening, Valentijn Driessen spoke about the interest in Ward.

Ajax does not seem to have any competition from England in terms of Ward's signature. "He has to leave England, he has a non-competition clause and will stop at Liverpool on July 1," explained De Telegraaf 's football chief. "Then you are not allowed to work in such a position in England for two years."

Moreover, Driessen also knows that Ward is well placed in South America. "They had direct hits with Marc Overmars there, so there is quite a bit to be achieved there. There are also scouts for that, but negotiations also have to be done. He did a good job at Liverpool," the journalist said.

General director Edwin van der Sar already admitted to Rondo van Ziggo Sport on Monday evening that Ajax had spoken with foreign candidates. From that corner comes the name of Ward, who is 'an important candidate'.

De Telegraaf knows that Ajax also made a new attempt for Kroes, but failed for the second time.

The founder of management agency SEG and former youth player of the team from Amsterdam is director of International Football Strategy at AZ and he does not want to give up that position.

In May last year, talks between the two parties ultimately came to nothing, while Kroes had already sold his shares in Go Ahead Eagles.

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The new technical director of Ajax must be able to start on July 1 at the latest, although the reigning Dutch champions will hope to get their management ready by the spring.

Van der Sar said that he hopes to have clarity about a permanent successor to Overmars within two months.

He agreed that foreigners have now also been sounded out in vain. "What does it then bounce off of? They are unavailable or think the competition is too small," said the former goalkeeper, who did not comment on names. "But as Ajax you always have to bet high."