René van der Gijp and Johan Derksen can't make sense of the direction Ajax have taken under Jordi Cruyff. On Vandaag Inside, the pair take aim at the Amsterdam club's summer transfer business after Thursday evening's European humiliation against Hajduk Split in the Conference League.
After presenter Wilfred Genee cites Valentijn Driessen, who described Ajax as a 'ragtag bunch', Van der Gijp agrees. "We were talking about Ajax very differently three months ago. Back then, we all thought: now it's going to happen," the former footballer recalls.
Van der Gijp admits he had doubts as the many new arrivals came in. "Of all the signings, I really only knew the goalkeeper, Ter Stegen, Brandt and that striker, Tolu. With the rest, I thought: that may all be well and good, but I'll have to see it first." In particular, Van der Gijp has little sympathy for the decision to start 18-year-old left-back Joffre Torrents for the first time.
What surprises Van der Gijp most, however, is the power Cruyff has been given at Ajax. "After everything you went through with Mislintat, I don't understand why you're now giving Cruyff a free hand," he says. Derksen agrees: "You've hit the nail on the head. I don't understand it at all. You had such bad experiences giving all the power to an unknown German, and now you bring someone in on the basis of his surname."
Derksen doubts Cruyff has proved enough to take on so much responsibility. "His father was a great, but Jordi hasn't really done anything remarkable since his playing career. It's a leap into the unknown, and you just hope the supporters are happy because his name is Cruyff."
For Van der Gijp, Ajax also lack experienced football people who can challenge the person in charge of technical matters when necessary. The transfer policy raises further questions for him, particularly the arrival of Viktor Tsygankov. "You're looking for a winger who makes runs in behind; they had two months to find one. Then they bring in Tsygankov, but he doesn't make those runs at all and always wants the ball played to his feet."
Neither man is impressed by Sofyan Amrabat: Derksen calls him 'mediocre'. Van der Gijp partly agrees, though he feels the midfielder can hold his own physically. "He does have a physical presence, but he is a limited footballer, certainly," says the former right winger.
Meanwhile, Derksen takes aim at Cruyff's choice of Míchel Sánchez as manager. "I knew straight away Jordi would bring in a Spanish friend. If the man does a fantastic job, I'll be delighted for him, but we haven't had that impression so far. He doesn't know Dutch football at all."