New Players for Ajax

[Rooie]

Transfer update:

- According to Frank de Boer Ajax and AZ have almost agreed on a transfer fee for Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, just details now.

- Demy de Zeeuw still ponders over a Moscow-move. Ajax and Spartak have a agreed a 8m-transfer fee.

- Mounir el Hamdaoui received a letter from Ajax stating that he has to report to Young Ajax at monday. Not welcome anymore.

[Michael_B]

AZ coach Verbeek has said on the AZ website that he thinks the chance that Kolbein will leave is 100%.

[Rooie]

Mats Rits has signed a 2-year contract

[orange goblin]

Interesting enough, de boer said he would like to add two more strikers to the squad. this means sightorsson and another one (otherwise de jong will play again upfront).
consequence is obvious: both cvitanich and el hamdaoui possibly will leave ("mounir is free to do whatever he wants, also to go to psv" coach said)

[Orange14]

Interesting enough, de boer said he would like to add two more strikers to the squad. this means sightorsson and another one (otherwise de jong will play again upfront).

I've seen a couple of rumors about US NT striker Jozy Altidore coming over. He injured a hamstring in the Gold Cup last week and is out for 4-6 weeks. Also, I think Villareal will want to recoup the full €7.4 M they paid for him and he is really not worth that much. He doesn't have very good ball skills though he is a very strong player and cannot be moved off of position. Still I don't think he can easily fit into the type of offense that we are playing.

[rjf1]

I saw Altidore in the world cup -- good and strong as you say, but slow of foot and short on imagination as well.

[rjf1]

I agree about Altidore. Saw him in the world cup -- good and strong but lacking in ball skills as you say, but slow of foot and short on imagination as well.

[Flipster81]

On a side note about Altidore, on his twitter he has posted 'Learning Dutch is gona to be hard, can I get a how to from Rosetta Stone?' This maybe a done deal???

[bluedaddy19]

sorry guys, altidore will be sigthorsson's replacement at AZ

got that straight from earnie stewart

it should be done soon, likely right about the time we take hold of siggy

[Flipster81]

Don't be sorry bluedaddy, I think the common consensus is that we don't want him because he isn't good enough or isn't an Ajax style striker.

[Orange14]

sorry guys, altidore will be sigthorsson's replacement at AZ

got that straight from earnie stewart

it should be done soon, likely right about the time we take hold of siggy

Yes, I think that is how it will play out. Coming to the Eredivisie will be helpful for Altidore. It's too bad that Davies was hurt in the awful car accident as he had the potential to be a great striker. He's now with my hometown club DC United and showing signs of regaining his game. Prior to the accident he would have been a first choice recommendation for Ajax.

[bluedaddy19]

Yes, I think that is how it will play out. Coming to the Eredivisie will be helpful for Altidore. It's too bad that Davies was hurt in the awful car accident as he had the potential to be a great striker. He's now with my hometown club DC United and showing signs of regaining his game. Prior to the accident he would have been a first choice recommendation for Ajax.

charlie trialed at ajax before signing with hammarby... they liked him but wanted someone to contribute right away and felt he wasn't ready yet (they were right by a year)

Don't be sorry bluedaddy, I think the common consensus is that we don't want him because he isn't good enough or isn't an Ajax style striker.

well... the "common consensus" isn't terribly familiar with him

i disagree, he is a perfect power #9 type and i think ajax coaches would be able to raise his game to its top potential quite easily

[Flipster81]

I'm not so sure he is, as I said I watched him a lot when he was at Hull on loan, yes he is strong but he didn't really strike me as a clever centre forward.

Only scoring 3 senior goals in 49 apps doesn't change my mind any. On a plus side he is only 21 and can obviously improve. He's just not in the Ajax mould imo

[bluedaddy19]

I'm not so sure he is, as I said I watched him a lot when he was at Hull on loan, yes he is strong but he didn't really strike me as a clever centre forward.

Only scoring 3 senior goals in 49 apps doesn't change my mind any. On a plus side he is only 21 and can obviously improve. He's just not in the Ajax mould imo

let's put it this way... do you agree that his game would be greatly helped by some time in the eredivisie?

if so, where would he get the best schooling?

i rest my case :p

seriously, he had all the tools, it's just a matter of someone polishing the diamond - which clearly does not happen at hull (not even vennegoor scored there)

[Blind3]

The coaching carousel and Mounir El Hamdaoui's year in Amsterdam are not exactly dictionary definitions of patient ; albeit said coaches and player contributed greatly to the lack of patience. Better Josy Altidore goes to a club which isn't in the glare of the 30x champs and CL spotlight and hones his craft. His game looks to be size and power. Siem de Jong and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson sound more like size and speed than size and power to me.

I am really, really looking forward to following the Ajax careers of Mats Rits and Viktor Fischer .

[Flipster81]

Hahaha I get your point totally and I agree that the best place to be is in Amsterdam, but I still don't see him being right for our club, that's all. I would prefer Siem getting a full season as a striker than possibly wasting €5-7m on Altidore.

I too am excited about the prospects of Fischer and Rits, also hopefully my adopted countryman Kolbeinn.

[Orange14]

let's put it this way... do you agree that his game would be greatly helped by some time in the eredivisie?

if so, where would he get the best schooling?

i rest my case :p

seriously, he had all the tools, it's just a matter of someone polishing the diamond - which clearly does not happen at hull (not even vennegoor scored there)

I wish that more US players would go over to the Eredivisie. Too bad Robbie Rogers left Heerenveen, he would have progressed rather than regressed and might be the left wing of choice for the US NT right now. Trouble is they have EPL football in their sights when they really need to focus on ball skills and the other things that are important.

[bluedaddy19]

I wish that more US players would go over to the Eredivisie. Too bad Robbie Rogers left Heerenveen, he would have progressed rather than regressed and might be the left wing of choice for the US NT right now. Trouble is they have EPL football in their sights when they really need to focus on ball skills and the other things that are important.

preaching ----> choir

[Orange14]

I wish that more US players would go over to the Eredivisie. Too bad Robbie Rogers left Heerenveen, he would have progressed rather than regressed and might be the left wing of choice for the US NT right now. Trouble is they have EPL football in their sights when they really need to focus on ball skills and the other things that are important.

preaching ----> choir

I know but I keep trying. It's amazing how over on Big Soccer everyone on the US board thinks that Bob Bradley ought to be fired. What they are in denial of is that the US just doesn't have many fundamentally good players and never has. The usually outwork opponents but when faced with a technically superior team, can't keep up. They were quite lucky to only concede four goals to Mexico the other evening. They played a 4-2-3-1 but you sure couldn't tell this because the two holding midfielders had no clue what to do.

[afcajax73]

I have to say, if we signed Altidore.. id be devistated.. i was hoping that we would be moving forward in an attacking style this year, and as stated before, everything i've seen of him is just size. no real pace, and pretty much no vision going forward. I think to win the league again, we need some real pacey creative forwards, with a trick or two. But hey ho, thats my opinion.

[rjf1]

I think having a big strong center forward who we can look to as an added dimension against the teams whose strategy is to beat up on us wouldn't be a bad idea. But, from what I have seen of him, Altidore doesn't have the speed, the skill, or the guile to be the player to fulfill that role.

[orange goblin]

personally I would like sigthorsson in the starting eleven and altidore as pinchitter

[Flipster81]

If we were going to go for the big target striker to be 'the different option' I'm pretty sure it would be Bas Dost that Frank tries to sign.

[aveslacker]

I wish that more US players would go over to the Eredivisie. Too bad Robbie Rogers left Heerenveen, he would have progressed rather than regressed and might be the left wing of choice for the US NT right now. Trouble is they have EPL football in their sights when they really need to focus on ball skills and the other things that are important.

preaching ----> choir

I know but I keep trying. It's amazing how over on Big Soccer everyone on the US board thinks that Bob Bradley ought to be fired. What they are in denial of is that the US just doesn't have many fundamentally good players and never has. The usually outwork opponents but when faced with a technically superior team, can't keep up. They were quite lucky to only concede four goals to Mexico the other evening. They played a 4-2-3-1 but you sure couldn't tell this because the two holding midfielders had no clue what to do.

Yes, I don't get how people blame Bob Bradley for the fact that his central defensive pairing in the knockout stages of the World Cup was a guy who played left back for his club team and a guy who was out of contract from a Coca Cola Premiership team. Small wonder that we gave up goals through the middle. But who else was there to play in those positions?

[afcajax73]

Yes, I don't get how people blame Bob Bradley for the fact that his central defensive pairing in the knockout stages of the World Cup was a guy who played left back for his club team and a guy who was out of contract from a Coca Cola Premiership team. Small wonder that we gave up goals through the middle. But who else was there to play in those positions?

me?