Pre-season is drawing to a close, the first competitive matches have been played and the transfer market is in full swing. The new Eredivisie season is now just around the corner. In a series of season previews, we are taking a close look at all 18 Eredivisie clubs this week. This article focuses on Ajax. We analyse the summer business, dig into Míchel's style of play, pick out a player who could surprise and make several other bold predictions for the new season.
As Ajax's new head coach, Míchel has an extremely difficult job: turning the Amsterdam club into title contenders again. The recruitment drive has deliberately focused on experienced players who can make an immediate impact. Whether that change in direction will be enough to take Ajax back to the top should become clear in the coming months.
Ajax will want to forget the 2025/26 season as quickly as possible. After missing out on the league title by a whisker under Francesco Farioli, his successor John Heitinga was tasked with restoring attractive football. Almost every decision went wrong. No fewer than three different head coaches took charge over the course of the season and Ajax eventually scraped into the Conference League qualifying rounds through the European play-offs.
Technical director Jordi Cruijff then stepped in firmly. He trimmed the squad significantly and Ajax added a serious dose of experience and leadership with no fewer than five signings. The objective is crystal clear: the club must challenge for trophies again and close the gap to PSV. That makes it especially interesting to see whether Míchel can mould a side from a squad that, on paper, is far better balanced than last season and can deliver week after week.
IMAGO
Incoming and outgoing transfers
Where Ajax's board largely targeted technically gifted signings in the summer of 2025, the emphasis in recent weeks has been on experience above all else. With Julian Brandt, Marcos Leonardo, Paulo Henrique, Tolu Arokodare and Marc-André Ter Stegen, the Amsterdam club have brought in know-how and quality. Daley Blind, too, is expected to play an important role with his experience. Ajax even paid almost €20 million for Leonardo.
There are risks attached to some of those deals, though. The 34-year-old Ter Stegen, for example, has managed only 12 competitive appearances in the past two years because of injury problems, while Blind is now 36. Will he not hamper the development of Youri Baas and Dies Janse?
Meanwhile, Cruijff continued his reshaping of the squad in ruthless fashion. Big earners Wout Weghorst and Branco van den Boomen left on free transfers, while Sivert Mannsverk was sold for a modest fee. Ajax received no fewer than €23.5 million for top talent Sean Steur. The departures of loanees Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Viteszlav Jaros also freed up considerable room on the wage bill. The same applies to Chuba Akpom, who sealed a move to Ipswich Town for more than €9 million.
Ajax are still looking to strengthen in the coming weeks with a new holding midfielder, but they also seem to have to factor in the departure of Mika Godts. The Belgian is firmly on the radar of Paris Saint-Germain, who have already reached an agreement in principle on personal terms with the Amsterdam club's standout performer and have submitted an opening bid of €45 million for him.
IMAGOResults in pre-season
Because Ajax entered in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, they began preparations for the new season early. For Míchel, the past few weeks have mainly been about bedding in his style of play.
Results mattered less. Ajax opened pre-season with a 3-1 defeat to Panathinaikos, then built confidence with wins over AEK Larnaca (1-0), Olympiakos (1-0) and Burnley (2-1). They also drew 1-1 with VfL Bochum in between. In the second qualifying round of the Conference League, Míchel's side also brushed FK Vojvodina aside convincingly. Across two matches, the Serbian club were beaten 8-2. Marcos Leonardo and Tolu Arokodare scored their first unofficial goals in Ajax colours on Sunday against FC Volendam (1-3).
Young top talents Pharell Nash (18), Jinairo Johnson (19), Mohamed Abdalla (16) and Abdellah Ouazane (17) all got chances in recent weeks to show themselves to the Spanish coach. Of those, Ouazane in particular made a big impression. The midfielder produced a fine assist in the first leg against Vojvodina and then scored the winner in the friendly against Burnley.
Oscar Gloukh also caught the eye. After a disappointing debut season in Amsterdam, the Israeli sent a clear signal to Míchel with a hat-trick in the return leg against Vojvodina.
The style of play
Míchel's style of play is clear. Ajax must take the initiative. Possession is the starting point. The Spanish coach wants his side to play high up the pitch, press early and create chances through plenty of movement off the ball. Winning the ball back immediately is also a key part of his football philosophy.
In possession, Ajax start from a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder in front of the defence. From there, one full-back moves into midfield, while the other takes up a position alongside the centre-backs. That creates a build-up shape with three central defenders and a holding midfielder protecting the rest defence. The attacking block consists of two wingers, the advanced full-back and two attack-minded midfielders who are expected to create danger between the lines and around the penalty area. Striker Marcos Leonardo must stay in the centre as much as possible. The Brazilian is expected mainly to operate as a finisher.
Out of possession, Míchel wants a compact team with small distances between the players. From there, Ajax regularly press high in a 4-4-2 shape, with the number 10 moving up alongside the striker.
For now, Míchel is pleased with the way his team are taking on those principles. "I always say that when a player goes forward to press, he gives energy to the team. If I run with a certain determination to win the ball, the team feel that we have the energy to win a ball back. That energy has to flow constantly. In every action, you show your team-mate that you want to help."
"And to attack we do not need one, not two, not three, not four, not ten, but eleven players. We want eleven players to attack. That has to happen with full conviction and a certain joy," he said recently on Ajax's club website.
To carry out that style of play as well as possible, Ajax need technically skilled and tactically intelligent players who recognise spaces and know how to exploit them. That also explains why the club moved this summer for players such as Julian Brandt, Daley Blind, Caio Henrique and Marc-André Ter Stegen.
IMAGOThe key player
Perhaps the best-kept secret of this transfer window was Julian Brandt's move to Ajax. The 30-year-old attacking midfielder signed on a free transfer in Amsterdam and, after seven seasons with Borussia Dortmund, is embarking on his first adventure abroad.
On paper, the 48-cap Germany international immediately ranks among the standout players in the Eredivisie. The big question is how fit Brandt actually is, but if he hits his level Ajax have a player who can decide matches with his technique, creativity and vision.
Ajax often lacked exactly that type of player in midfield last season. Their attacking play regularly looked sluggish and too predictable, which meant the Amsterdam club frequently relied on the individual class of Mika Godts. With Brandt, Míchel has an attacking midfielder who can receive the ball under heavy pressure, find solutions in tight spaces and slip team-mates clean through on goal with one incisive pass. Marcos Leonardo is a striker who can profit from that.
With a major move for Godts to PSG becoming increasingly realistic, and uncertainty still surrounding his potential successor, Brandt looks likely to become Ajax's most creative player.
AjaxWho will break through?
If Abdellah Ouazane can maintain the form he showed in pre-season, he has everything needed to become a sensation in Ajax's midfield this season. Competition for the number 10 role is fierce with the arrival of Julian Brandt and the presence of Oscar Gloukh, but the 17-year-old Ouazane is also very capable as a number 8. There is plenty for him to learn from the more experienced midfielders in the squad too.
Speaking to Ajax Life after the friendly win over Burnley, Míchel was full of praise for the talent and appears ready to give him plenty of chances next season. "Ouazane's performances are top. He still has to develop further, but he is certainly a player who can help us."
IMAGOWhen will the season be a success?
Ajax finished last season 28 points behind league champions PSV. Even so, technical director Jordi Cruijff set out the sky-high ambition a few months ago of competing directly for the league title again this season.
This summer backed those words up. With several experienced, high-quality signings, Ajax showed they want to launch their charge immediately. That ambition is also easy to explain. The Netherlands have definitively lost sixth place in the UEFA coefficient rankings to Portugal, meaning the Eredivisie will have only one direct Champions League ticket from the summer of 2027 onwards.
After several disappointing seasons, the supporters are desperate for a team that can challenge for trophies again. Expectations have therefore risen sharply because of the ambitious transfer window. A serious title challenge looks like the minimum objective for Míchel and Ajax.
(Bold) predictions
Player of the year: Julian Brandt. If the German stays fit, he will immediately become Ajax's creative brain. His vision, technique and experience will lift the midfield to a higher level.
Biggest disappointment: Maher Carrizo. Ajax invested heavily in the Argentine last winter, but for now he does not appear likely to win a starting place. Carrizo's patience will be tested again next season in a reserve role. It is not so much that Carrizo himself falls badly short, but simply that other players are higher in the pecking order.
Best signing: Julian Brandt. Who else? Ajax have brought in a 48-cap Germany international on a free transfer who has performed at the highest level for years. The creative player could easily prove to be the best Eredivisie signing of the summer.
Top scorer: Marcos Leonardo. The Brazilian is a proven goalscorer. With Brandt supplying him and enough service from the flanks, he will be Ajax's top scorer by some distance in the 2026/27 season.
European result: Conference League semi-final. Ajax have more individual quality than many of the participants and can therefore go deep. To actually win the trophy, however, everything will have to fall into place.
Final Eredivisie position: Second place. Ajax have had a significant injection of quality this summer, but PSV remain the team to beat for now. It is to be expected that PSV's defence will be strengthened considerably in the coming weeks. The Eindhoven club's squad is still brimming with individual quality and has an exceptional number of players who can make the difference. If key players such as Joey Veerman, Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi leave only late in the transfer window without equivalent replacements arriving, the title race will still be wide open.
All the other season previews
In the build-up to the first round of Eredivisie fixtures, we are putting the spotlight on all 18 clubs this week. Below are the club previews that have already been published:
ADO Den Haag
AZ
Cambuur
Excelsior
Feyenoord
Fortuna Sittard
Go Ahead Eagles
FC Groningen
sc Heerenveen
NEC
PEC Zwolle
PSV
Telstar
Curious to know when the season preview of your favourite club will be published? Ask in the comments. And share your own bold predictions about Ajax too.