New Players for Ajax

[LucaS]

hehe, the key-word of course is 'desperately'. I think we might pay to much under pressure of the fans and the upcoming deadline. However, if no transferfee is necessary it's not a very great risk.

[Philippe]

so we end up with the player we needed and around 40 M€ still on our bank account ? sounds almost too good to be true ! right time to buy Ajax shares ...

[Kowalczyk]

hehe, the key-word of course is 'desperately'. I think we might pay to much under pressure of the fans and the upcoming deadline. However, if no transferfee is necessary it's not a very great risk.

That's right.

The only risk: Luque is apparently quite injury-prone and he's also becoming the best earner in the Ajax squad. And he's 29 years of age.

Bottom line: give him a contract for one or two seasons, not more, so that you can get rid of him if he's always injured and not worth his wages. You don't want such an expensive player to be on your payrole for five years, but never on the pitch... that would be 2.2 million down the toilet every season.

K.

[dws]

A very interesting view on Luque's time at Newcastle:

http://www.lukewhostalking.co.uk/2007/0 ... t_luq.html


link to some of Luque's goals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVHkWIMAvjk

[Kowalczyk]

so we end up with the player we needed and around 40 M€ still on our bank account ? sounds almost too good to be true !

Yes, it does.

Of course I can sense your irony, but what would you suggest? Buy some more players just for the hell of it, only because we happen to have the money?

If Van Geel and Ten Cate agree that our squad for the new season is now complete, it's time to buy match tickets and support our boys.

K.

[Philippe]

Of course I can sense your irony, but what would you suggest? Buy some more players just for the hell of it, only because we happen to have the money?K.

It's excellent for Ajax to get a very good player with no transfer fee to pay. However, it does not make sense to save so huge an amount. Ajax are a football club not an ordinary company, and therefore are supposed to get the best possible squad. I would understand and agree to keep a part of that money for the club's current players, assets, youth, etc... But it seems to me that most of the money earned in players sales should be invested in other players.

If Van Geel and Ten Cate agree that our squad for the new season is now complete, it's time to buy match tickets and support our boys.K.

yes indeed !

[Kowalczyk]

I totally agree with you.

That's what Van Geel himself said to me the other day: "It's useless to have 40 million on the bank for a full season. Sportive success, in the long run, is always the best idea commercially."

That's why they (after the sale of Ryan Babel) said 'no' when Valencia offered 17 million for Sneijder. That transfer seemed to be off. Period. They had turned down 17 million euros, because they wanted to keep the player.

But then Real Madrid showed up. Not only did they offer 27; Wesley Sneijder also told Van Geel that he really wanted to go, otherwise it would be impossible for him to give everything for Ajax. "If you force me to stay here, it would devastate me and I woudn't be able to focus on Ajax anymore."

So, they sold him.

Ever since that day they have explored all the options: expensive ones, cheaper ones. The club were more than willing to spend a lot of cash. But the clubs that Ajax would be willing to pay 15 million euros for, are the same players the richer clubs are willing to pay 20 for... Also: what if clubs don't wish to sell? What if the players in question don't want to move to the Dutch Eredivisie? What if the player in question only wish to join Ajax if they are certain to play in the Champions League (which they aren't)?

It's not always as easy as it seems. Luque would be a great name for Ajax.

K.

[aveslacker]

I'm glad that we have finally settled the squad for the season, and I think the potential is there to do good things, both in the Eredivisie and the CL. However, given the turnover we're going to see next year (Davids, Stam, KJH, Heitinga? Urby?) I think it is even more important than ever for some of the young 'uns to get blooded this year.

As much I respect van Geel -- he's light years better than his predecessor -- I believe that Ajax is best when it heavily features home grown talent. I have no problem with good buys like Suarez and (I hope) Luque. But I love to see players like Sneijder, Babel, Urby develop and be replaced by guys like Van der Wiel, Sarpong, Anita, etc.

I hope van Geel doesn't lose sight of that. It is part of what makes Ajax special.

[Philippe]

You are right, and I hope to see Sarpong often this season. I have good memories of him from the Blind's year.

Still nothing official for Luque though.

[Tom_]

I don't know anything about Luque (i.e. what positions he can play, etc.), but no one thinks that we're buying him as a replacement for Huntelaar?

[orange goblin]

he is more a left-footed winger and offensive midfielder who plays on the left, too. In La Coruna he played left in the 4-2-3-1 of coach Irureta. In Newcastle he did also the second striker, I think.
For sure he's not a central striker as KJH, but maybe he could be the "number 10" we were searching for, although not in the heart of midfield like sneijder.
otherwise we should play a sort of 4-2-4 with kennedy and him on the wings, and Huntelaar-Suarez as the real strikers. interesting option, if you ask me.

[Blind3]

I don't think we're buying a replacement for Huntelaar. One , Luque isn't a classic number 9 . Two , his injury history and age make it improbable that Ajax would take a flyer on a three or four year commitment with him . Hunter's replacement will probably be a young 21 or 22 year old whom Ajax can invest three or four years in , IMHO .Three , Ismael Urzaiz , our only other striker with high level football experience behind Huntelaar is 35 and probably couldn't go 90 . Nice option , but not for 90.

No , not replacement , but a depth move. Like having Machlas available behind Zlatan and Mido or Anastasiou available behind Zlatan and Sonck .

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

I'm glad that we have finally settled the squad for the season, and I think the potential is there to do good things, both in the Eredivisie and the CL. However, given the turnover we're going to see next year (Davids, Stam, KJH, Heitinga? Urby?) I think it is even more important than ever for some of the young 'uns to get blooded this year.

As much I respect van Geel -- he's light years better than his predecessor -- I believe that Ajax is best when it heavily features home grown talent. I have no problem with good buys like Suarez and (I hope) Luque. But I love to see players like Sneijder, Babel, Urby develop and be replaced by guys like Van der Wiel, Sarpong, Anita, etc.

I hope van Geel doesn't lose sight of that. It is part of what makes Ajax special.

maybe thats the plan with Ajax opening a huge bank account with the leftover money....i can see some radical changes at Ajax next season...kind of like when Trabelsi,Zlatan, Mido, Boukhari, Maxwell and the rest off the gang came in all at once.

One things for sure next time around... Ajax will surely (and I hope wisely) buy a lot more players.

Books are closed for now though.

[AjaxPDX]

Bottom line: give him a contract for one or two seasons, not more, so that you can get rid of him if he's always injured and not worth his wages.

K.

I read that Luque's contract with Ajax is for two years.

[JohnyAjax]

Oh dear, oh dear. Why did we have to look at this player? We need a true middlefielder, who will play at the heart of the middlefield. We signed Kennedy, Luis Suarez and Rommedahl, all players who can play as wingers and we have Huntelaar for a central forward. So do we need any other attakers for our 4-3-3 formation: hardly. However Luque is a left winger, a position which is now considered to vacant in our squad and we could install Suarez and Bakircioglu in middlefield, and Rommedahl on the right wing, but I honestly think that Suarez plays best as an attacker. Maybe we could play with a 4-3-3 formation, with Gabri as a defensive middlefielder Suarez and kennedy as Attacking middlefielders and Luque on the left wing, KJH as a centre forward and rommedahl pn the right. But signing Luque for me is a gamble. He is a spanish guy - he could be quite inconsistent and he may need some time to settle - not good for our Slavia fixture. AND he has big wage demands so in my opinion - we should sign Orlando Engelaar OR Haris Medunjain and give Suarez the 'Babel role'. We're missing Sneijder and Davids and we are looking for a MIDDLEFIELDER after all.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Kennedy should be put in midfield, he's too slow to be a winger despite being a good dribbler.

Luque is a good player, I remember watching abit of him when I watch the La Liga. He was only injury prone in England, but that seems to be a common place to get injured. At Spain he was able to play more than 30 games a season, so we should trust his fitness.

2.2m a yr is abit much, but if hes on a short contract then it could be worth it.

[Venezuelan Ajacied]

Oh dear, oh dear. Why did we have to look at this player? We need a true middlefielder, who will play at the heart of the middlefield. We signed Kennedy, Luis Suarez and Rommedahl, all players who can play as wingers and we have Huntelaar for a central forward. So do we need any other attakers for our 4-3-3 formation: hardly. However Luque is a left winger, a position which is now considered to vacant in our squad and we could install Suarez and Bakircioglu in middlefield, and Rommedahl on the right wing, but I honestly think that Suarez plays best as an attacker. Maybe we could play with a 4-3-3 formation, with Gabri as a defensive middlefielder Suarez and kennedy as Attacking middlefielders and Luque on the left wing, KJH as a centre forward and rommedahl pn the right. But signing Luque for me is a gamble. He is a spanish guy - he could be quite inconsistent and he may need some time to settle - not good for our Slavia fixture. AND he has big wage demands so in my opinion - we should sign Orlando Engelaar OR Haris Medunjain and give Suarez the 'Babel role'. We're missing Sneijder and Davids and we are looking for a MIDDLEFIELDER after all.

Whoever we sign will not be available for the slavia match anyway...one things for sure we have the potencial to score a lot off goals this season...Suarez,Huntelaar, Luque, Bakircioglu, Urzais are all goal scorer´s.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Luque is an official Ajacied. It is estimated that Ajax bought him for around 10m euros. Abit expensive on my taste, but a good buy nonetheless!

[Cedric]

Come on, 10 millions + 2 millions per year for the player ? That would be really expensive. I read yesterday that Newcastle would release him for free, which would be a lot better.

[666]

Luque signed for 3 years only, so there's no way Ajax paid 10 million for him.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Luque signed for 3 years only, so there's no way Ajax paid 10 million for him.

Hmm maybe I misheard, but so far there's been no fee posted anywhere

[Van der Vaart]

Ajax is intrest in Andreas D´Alessandro.

It would be a fucking freaking great buy

[aveslacker]

Ajax is intrest in Andreas D´Alessandro.

It would be a fucking freaking great buy

Source? Tell us more about him.

[Van der Vaart]

http://www.voetbalreport.nl/1304/voetba ... ttend.html

In Dutch

[aveslacker]

Thanks. I gather you think he's good. How so?