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Ajax are in the market for a successor to the departed Mika Godts. One of the names being mentioned for the left-wing role is Noa Lang. Rafael van der Vaart responded to the rumour on Sportnieuws.
He would certainly welcome the transfer. “That would be absolutely fantastic. Also for the media, for football lovers. Things will start happening again that you do not expect.”
Van der Vaart also believes a move to Ajax would suit the forward. “Because he can really let loose in the Dutch league,” he says. “And also at his club, of course. He has never made a secret of the fact that Ajax are his club.”
Still, the 43-year-old former footballer feels Lang would need the right guidance in Amsterdam, even if he would be an immediate asset. “You need to put someone with him who gives him a little cuddle from time to time and tickles him under his balls, like: ‘Mate, how good are you’. Then you really have a world-class player on your hands.”
As for Lang himself, Van der Vaart sees more than the hard-man image. “He acts tough, but he seems like an enormously sweet boy to me,” Van der Vaart thinks. “If you give him confidence and believe in him, he can show things that may even be better than Godts,” he concludes.
Ajax have been linked with Lang and were also offered Leon Bailey (Aston Villa). Technical director Jordi Cruyff appears to be exploring several options for the left-wing position.
There is competition for the signature of the 27-year-old forward, though. According to transfer journalist Florian Plettenberg, Galatasaray are in talks with Lang. Napoli are in any case open to a permanent departure for the forward.