On Sunday, Ajax suffered a significant 5-2 defeat at the hands of league leaders, PSV Eindhoven. Though they have 2 games in hand, this loss, which marked their fifth consecutive league defeat, placed them in an unfamiliar and unenviable position – the bottom of the Eredivisie. Last week, following their 4-3 loss to Utrecht, they dismissed Maurice Steijn from his managerial role after just 11 games. The Utrecht defeat had marked an unfortunate streak of 8 winless games in all competitions for the Dutch giants, their worst performance since the inception of professional football in 1954. Having lost to Brighton and PSV over the last 5 days, that streak now stands at 10. Just four seasons ago, under Erik ten Hag, Ajax came close to reaching the Champions League final, with the opportunity to add to their four titles. A Lucas Moura hat-trick for Spurs left them heartbroken, yet, they could feel they were on the right path to building something special. Fast forward to 2023, and they are now facing the spectre of relegation. So, what has caused this downturn for the Dutch giants? Could it be as straightforward as Erik ten Hag's departure to Manchester United, along with his ability to lure some of Ajax's key players to Old Trafford? Well, it's not that simple; in fact, this curious case of Ajax brings to mind the famous Murphy's Law: **"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."** While Erik ten Hag's departure from Ajax has certainly been a major factor in the team's decline, arguably the most pivotal loss for Ajax was the resignation of the man who had brought in Erik ten Hag in the first place, Marc Overmars. In 2012, Marc Overmars assumed the role of Director of Football at Ajax, a decision that marked the beginning of a decade of dominance for the Dutch club. Before Marc Overmars' appointment, Ajax had previously clinched the Eredivisie title under Frank de Boer. However, concerns loomed over their European performances, as they continuously faced early exits in the Champions’ League group stage. After a few years of struggling both domestically and in Europe and with no significant breakthrough, Marc Overmars brought in Peter Bosz as a replacement for Frank de Boer in 2016. Following just one year in charge, during which Ajax finished as runners-up in the Eredivisie and reached the Europa League final, another managerial change was made, and Erik ten Hag was appointed. Marc Overmars had a deep familiarity with Erik ten Hag and his coaching ability. It was Overmars who provided ten Hag with his first coaching opportunity at Go Ahead Eagles in 2012. During ten Hag's single season with Go Ahead Eagles, he guided the team to their first Eredivisie promotion in 17 years. In Erik ten Hag, Overmars believed he had discovered the ideal coach for Ajax, and the results bore this out. Over the course of Erik ten Hag's five seasons at Ajax, they topped the Dutch league for four years, although the title in 2019/2020 went unawarded due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The duo also clinched two Dutch Cups and a Johan Cruyff Shield. However, the most remarkable aspect of their partnership was their European performance, culminating in a memorable run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019. Notably, in the matchday squad that faced Tottenham in the semi-finals, 10 out of the 18 players listed were graduates from the Ajax academy, providing further evidence of the success of the Ajax sporting project under the guidance of Marc Overmars. However, the year 2022 witnessed a deeply troubling turn of events. Though Marc Overmars had an exceptionally brilliant football mind, he was a man of flawed character. On February 6, 2022, he resigned from his position at Ajax amidst a scandal that had surfaced in the media. Overmars had sent explicit photos of himself to a female employee within the club, and he openly admitted to this behaviour and offered an apology before departing. A few weeks later, he was appointed as the Director of Football at Royal Antwerp. So far for Royal Antwerp, Overmars has appointed Mark van Bommel as the Head Coach, and together, they have guided the club to its first league title in 66 years and secured a spot in the Champions League/European Cup for the first time since the 1956/57 season. Meanwhile, back at Ajax, a considerable void continued to grow, and just two months after Marc Overmars' departure, Erik ten Hag left the club to join Manchester United. [Click here to bet on Royal Antwerp and other Belgian Pro League games at the best odds](https://m.betking.com/sports/events/prematch/football/belgium/first-division-a) Much like the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill from Manchester United in 2013, which had proven to be too significant to swiftly bounce back from, as evidenced by the last decade of mediocrity, Ajax were headed down a similar path with arguably more severe consequences. Under Overmars, Ajax never finished below second position. However, in the first season without Erik ten Hag and Overmars, they finished third and missed out on Champions League football. Perhaps the most significant part of this story is the rather unorthodox way Marc Overmars did business. While most modern clubs had intricate systems in place to manage their football departments, Overmars ran his operations primarily through his mobile phone. This method may have seemed rudimentary and unusual, particularly for a club as well-organized as Ajax, which was one of the best-run clubs in the world. However, the success achieved through this unorthodox process seemed to justify its usage. Under Overmars, the entire framework of the club's football operations, including scouting, recruitment, and youth development, heavily relied on the former Arsenal winger. When he departed, the entire blueprint that had taken a decade to construct went with him. As Royal Antwerp can attest, this blueprint was effective, even though it came at the cost of losing some club sponsors who rightfully objected to the hiring of a known offender. Besides the departure of these two influential figures from Ajax, former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar, who had been a board member since 2012 and served as the club's CEO from 2016, also stepped down from his role following a disappointing 2022/23 season. In the absence of these three key figures, Ajax has experienced a period of turmoil. Both on and off the pitch, the replacements have been nothing short of underwhelming. In typical Ajax fashion, several players were sold this past season, including Mohammed Kudus (€43 million to West Ham), Jurrien Timber (€40 million to Arsenal), Edson Alvarez (€38 million to West Ham), Calvin Bassey (€23 million to Fulham), and Mohamed Daramy (€12 million to Reims), which brought in €110 million in transfer fees. However, the reinvestment of this money into new players has raised questions, as the signings have been questionable. For instance, €12 million was spent on Chuba Akpom, who had won the Golden Boot with Middlesbrough in the Championship but has been considered a player below the club's standards. Another €14 million was spent on Carlos Forbs, a product of Manchester City's academy, who had not played a single minute of senior professional football. The man who replaced Marc Overmars at the Director of Football role, Sven Mislintat, has since been sacked by the club due to a lack of widespread support within the organization. His controversial €8 million signing of Borna Sosa from his former club, Stuttgart, added to the reasons behind his departure. Also, in the 16 months since Erik ten Hag left the club, four coaches have taken the role. Alfred Schreuder was in charge for 26 games last year before Johnny Heitinga finished up the season. Maurice Steijn was brought in just this summer, but he only lasted 11 games. Hedwiges Maduro is the latest to hold the role, albeit on an interim basis. Ajax face 16th place FC Volendam at home on Thursday. One of our betting tips today is for the Dutch giants to snap their losing streak and win that game. On **BetKing** , we have the high odds for our online sports betting community for this game.
The ongoing trend of selling key players by Ajax may be associated with their significant decline, but this has always been the club's established business model: developing top-quality players through their world-class academy and subsequently selling them for huge profits. Historically, this approach has not been a problem for the club. Instead, the primary issue has been the departure of key leadership figures and failing to secure suitable replacements. This has resulted in the four-time Champions League winners starring relegation in the face for only the second time in its 123-year history. [Register on BetKing](https://m.betking.com/account/registration) and download the new android app to get value for your money by betting on football matches today including the [Eredivisie](https://m.betking.com/sports/events/prematch/football/netherlands/eredivisie).