Zvolle & Eredivisie Blog
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has said that he is calm regarding his future amid the ongoing speculation linking him with a return to Barcelona. The Cameroon international was in the youth ranks of the Blaugrana before making the switch to the Dutch outfit in 2016, and he has since become a regular between the sticks under Erik ten Hag.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has said that he is calm regarding his future amid the ongoing speculation linking him with a return to Barcelona.
The Cameroon international was in the youth ranks of the Blaugrana before making the switch to the Dutch outfit in 2016, and he has since become a regular between the sticks under Erik ten Hag.
Moreover, he has been consistent with his performances at a high level and this has touted him for a probable comeback with the Spanish champions when the season comes to a close. When asked about the same, Onana stressed that he has yet to witness any contact from his former employers regarding the same and he is presently content with the first-team duties in Amsterdam.
He said: “There hasn’t been any contact, or at least none that I know of. You have to talk to my agent to ask what the situation is. I think I’m able to play for a big team, but I’m already at a club with the chance to do big things. I already said that returning to Barcelona would be a dream, but right now I’m fulfilling another one. We’ll see what happens.”
Jasper Cillessen is currently the second-choice keeper in the Barcelona ranks but the Dutchman has been tipped to make way from the Camp Nou in the search for regular gametime. As such, Onana has been earmarked as a probable option to play deputy to Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and it remains to be seen whether the Catalan giants will make a formal approach to pursue him.
Meanwhile, Ajax have witnessed a great transformation of fortunes over the past 12 months and they are currently tussling for the top-flight title with just five points separating them from PSV with a game in hand. They have also progressed to the quarter finals of the Champions League after the shock 5-3 aggregate triumph over holders Real Madrid.
Barcelona-bound Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong has revealed that his Dutch side are very capable of coming away with a positive result when they welcome European champions Real Madrid to the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has urged Matthijs de Ligt to follow Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona in the near future. De Jong recently penned a pre-contract with Barcelona over a summer move and there has since been strong speculation linking De Ligt with a reunion with the Netherlands international.
Generally the manager of a team, which has won 12 out of the 14 games in the domestic league and has already made it to the pre quarter final round in Europe with one game still to play, is a happy man and would rather want to talk about the positive traits of his team than to talk about the weaknesses, but Erik ten Hag, the man in charge of Ajax, is a different sort of character.
Hag was still talking about where his team was faltering and what they should look to improve after the game against AEK Athens where a victory ensured Ajax’s entry to the pre quarter finals in Europe. Hag also singled out a few players whom he said were not at their best and had to contribute more for the team going ahead. Continue reading “Is Erik ten Hag being too harsh on his players?”
Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar has spoken about the ambition of keeping hold of goalkeeper Andre Onana amid the ongoing interest from Barcelona. The Cameroonian keeper graduated through the La Masia academy before making the switch to Amsterdam and he has been theclub’s first-choice shot-stopper over the past two-and-a-half seasons.
Amidst this, Onana has been touted for a probable return to the Camp No in January but Van der Sar has appeared to rebuff the speculation by citing that the club are planning to keep their main players for the long-term, he said: “Also He was in a rush to play first-team football quickly, but I think the level that he composed himself and that first year, playing straight away the Europa League final was a great start.
“Last year was a difficult season but this year again he has proven to be extremely valuable for the team and besides that, he is a great guy. We develop great players, not only in Amsterdam but hopefully also in Cape Town and there is interest in a lot of our players, but we like to keep them for as long as possible. I think there are always a lot of rumours about players from Ajax.”
Barcelona are currently comfortably placed with Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Jasper Cillessen performing the roles of first-choice and second-choice goalkeepers respectively. However, the latter of those two could part ways with the club during the winter period with his quest to regular game time for both club and country.Owing to this, Onana has been highlighted as a potential option but judging by the comments made by Van der Sar, Ajax remain determined to ward off any interest when the transfer window reopens. Ajax have made a positive start to the campaign with 11 wins from the opening 13 matches but they are still six points off table-toppers and reigning champions PSV Eindhoven, who have made the perfect start to the season.
The trip to Athens proved to be very fruitful for Ajax from a results point of view (they were able to secure a clinical 2-0 victory and ensured their qualification to the next stage of the Champions League.
Sadly the supporters of the club who flew to the Greek capital to enjoy the game won’t return with very fond memories because they were subject to violence and had to suffer the assault of not only the home supporters, but also the Police. It’s been reported that some visiting supporters actually had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Continue reading “Ajax supporters assaulted in Athens”
Barcelona legend Xavi believes Ajax’s versatile midfielder Frenkie de Jong can be regarded as the perfect fit for the Catalan giants in terms of his playing style. The Dutchman has caught the attention of a number of elite clubs after his impressive progress in Amsterdam but the Blaugrana are nevertheless said to be leading the race for his services.
Dutch midfielder Donny van de Beek has hinted that he could leave Ajax during the transfer window after finding himself out of favour under manager Erik ten Hag. The 21-year-old started the club’s first game of the season against Sturm Graz but he has since found himself being benched by the head coach.
The decision of Overmars to refuse to sell top young talents of Ajax represents a step in the right direction for the club. This is the best step taken by the club which is seeking to revive its old glories
