Klaas-Jan Huntelaar reportedly found Gerry Hamstra deeply irritating during their time at Ajax. Hugo Borst made the claim on ESPN's De Eretribune as the panel discussed the current PEC Zwolle technical director and the dismissal of coach Henry van der Vegt earlier this week.
Borst criticises PEC Zwolle's decision to sack Van der Vegt before turning to Hamstra. "Do you know who was driven absolutely mad by his friend Hamstra at Ajax?" the journalist asks the others at the table. "Huntelaar. A source of mine tells me that."
Huntelaar and Hamstra worked together in Ajax's technical department after the former striker joined the Amsterdam club in 2022. "I was going to do an internship with Gerry Hamstra; that was where I was going to learn the trade," Huntelaar recently said on Voetbal International's Pak Schaal Podcast. The former international then watched the organisation change repeatedly as senior figures including Marc Overmars, Edwin van der Sar and, eventually, Hamstra left.
"It was basically one big chaos," Huntelaar said of that turbulent period at Ajax. Burnout forced him to stop working in October 2023, and he faced a lengthy recovery. On the podcast, Huntelaar said the enormous workload had ultimately become too much for him.
At PEC Zwolle, Hamstra is under scrutiny following Van der Vegt's dismissal. Borst struggles to understand the decision and doubts the Zwolle side will benefit. "I would have waited a little longer. I wonder whether a change like that makes you any better," says the journalist. He also points to matches in which he believes PEC played well but got nothing to show for it.
For Kees Kwakman, the timing of the dismissal is also questionable. "A difficult situation, with a very tough start to the season, of course, and a very demanding fixture list," says the analyst. He says the club had wanted to get through the international break before moving forward with renewed energy. "They played well against Cambuur and really could have been 2-0 up at half-time. An unjust result. I think: yes, I don't see that as a reason."
Having been in line to return against Cambuur, Younes Namli was ruled out again. Kwakman believes his absence mattered. "Their best player is then ruled out again, including for such an important match. It's a very fine line, and with Namli they might have won that match," says the former footballer.