Wim Kieft has had his say on Noa Lang in the question-and-answer section of KieftJansenEgmondGijp. The forward was recently linked with Ajax, although it remains unclear whether he will actually return to the Netherlands.
"For the Dutch league and Ajax, that would be a strengthening," Kieft says as he assesses Lang. "At PSV he did quite well too, of course."
Still, the analyst from Haarlem quickly points to one issue with the Netherlands international. "It has become clear that it has not worked out abroad, which is a shame. You can have unusual behaviour, as long as you perform."
"We rate players highly very quickly. We are going to see that with Godts as well, even if he is Belgian. Lang did not succeed in Naples. And after that he went to Galatasaray. That did not really work out either, of course," sighs the sceptical Kieft. "Lang could succeed abroad. I certainly would not return to the Netherlands if I were him," Rob Jansen adds. "But he struggles with criticism. This generation suffers from that more, by the way."
Jansen continues: "If he were really to focus on football. And stop with all the off-field matters for a while. Then he can still have a very fine career."
Even so, Kieft offers Lang some defence. "It is not as if he does really crazy things either," he says. "You always get the feeling there is a bit more in him. It is not automatic, mentally everything has to be right as well. And some do not have that."
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.