Just as impressive as Ajax’s attractive brand of football down the years has been their almost unrivalled capacity for renewal.
The Amsterdam club know every time they perform well in European competition, the continent’s elite clubs will swoop like vultures and pick off their best players.
So a big part of Ajax’s planning for success concerns contingencies for when the inevitable happens and the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus come knocking.
Hakim Ziyech attracted attention from a host of leading European clubs last summer but the Moroccan winger made the decision to stay at Ajax
Ziyech scored for Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final with Tottenham
In that regard, the exodus following their run to last season’s Champions League semi-finals, when they were seconds away from beating Tottenham, wasn’t too bad.
It was already known that midfielder Frenkie de Jong was heading for Barcelona and very much anticipated that centre-half Matthijs de Ligt would depart, in the end to Juventus.
But the only other prominent departures from the successful side that had eliminated Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the last four were forward Kasper Dolberg and midfielder Lasse Schone.
Despite a summer of speculation, the likes of Donny van de Beek, David Neres, Dusan Tadic and Hakim Ziyech all remained at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
The surprising continuity in Erik ten Hag’s team perhaps explains Ajax’s flying start to the season.
Far from suffering a hangover after coming so near, yet so far in last season’s Champions League, unbeaten Ajax sit six points clear of AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie table as they bid to retain their title.
Ziyech fires home against Spurs in the semi-final before Ajax collapsed to a 3-2 defeat
The winger (right) had proved instrumental in Ajax’s memorable Champions League run
They won their first two Champions League group matches, against Lille and Valencia, before losing 1-0 at home to Chelsea a fortnight ago.
Nonetheless, they stand an excellent chance of progressing to the knockout phase as they prepare to meet the Blues in London on Tuesday night.
And one of the stories of the season has been Ziyech, their Dutch-born Morocco international winger, who was one of their most in-demand players over the summer.
Encouraged by the £25million price tag Ajax had placed on the 26-year-old – excellent value for someone who scored 21 goals and contributed 24 assists last season – Ziyech was linked with moves seemingly everywhere.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich were among the clubs to express an interest, while Ziyech turned down a switch to Sevilla, and in the end penned a new three-year deal at Ajax.
And Ziyech has underlined his commitment to the cause by scoring six times and creating another 11 during what has been an excellent start to this season.
Ziyech celebrates after scoring in Ajax’s 4-0 win over Feyenoord at the end of last month
Ziyech’s ability to roam right across the forward three is crucial to Erik ten Hag’s set-up
Ziyech took stock of his situation over the summer and assessed the offers that came his way. He considered whether any of the serious ones constituted a forward step from Ajax.
In the end he decided against making the leap, saying: ‘I think everybody gets along really well. It’s a great team. We have fun and you shouldn’t give that up for nothing.
‘You shouldn’t leave because of leaving; it has to be something you fully approve.’
In a refreshing rebuke to the modern trend, a player who should be coming into his peak aged 26 decided not to move for the sake of moving.
‘A transfer was never a must,’ he concluded.
After all, Ajax are the strongest team in Dutch football right now and will reliably be playing Champions League football against the cream of the continent for the foreseeable future.
Ziyech has proven he can shine not only in domestic football but at the highest standard of the Champions League. Continue in the form he is currently in and better offers will almost certainly emerge.
The season’s highlight so far is an outrageous strike from the right flank to open the scoring in Ajax’s 3-0 win over Valencia.
The highlight of Ziyech’s season so far was a spectacular goal against Valencia last month
The Moroccan celebrates after curling home a stunning strike against the Spanish side
Watch the YouTube compilations from the current season and see a cavalcade of tricks, turns and incisive passes as Ziyech dances across the front three.
He makes things happen almost effortlessly and it came as no surprise when Rafael van der Vaart urged his former club Tottenham to sign Ziyech in the summer.
‘I am convinced that he becomes a sensation in London,’ said the former midfielder of a player who scored against Spurs in the second leg of last season’s semi-final.
What is for sure is that if he continues at the current rate, Ziyech will exceed his goal and assists tallies from last season.
Whether they progress as far in the Champions League remains to be seen – have they renewed themselves enough? – but it is certain that Ziyech will be the centre of attention once again in the summer window.