- Ajax general manager Edwin van der Sar has overhauled the coaching staff and blamed ‘a bad summer and messy start of the season’
- Manager Marcel Keizer and assistant Hennie Spijkerman have also left
- They were knocked out of the Dutch Cup on penalties by Twente on Wednesday
- In the Eredivise, Ajax are second and five points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven
Ajax have sacked Dennis Bergkamp from his coaching role, citing ‘a difference of opinion about the technical policy to be implemented.’
Manager Marcel Keizer and assistant Hennie Spijkerman are also out of a job, but it is only with Bergkamp that the Dutch side have cited a difference in approach.
General manager Edwin van der Sar blamed ‘a bad summer and a messy start of the season’ after announcing the sackings.
Dennis Bergkamp has been sacked from his coaching role at Ajax
Ajax manager Marcel Keizer has been dismissed too, alongside assistant Hennie Spijkerman
Ajax are second in the Eredivisie, five points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven, and failed to reach either the Champions League or Europa League through qualifying rounds at the start of the season.
General manager Van der Sar said: ‘We had a bad summer and a messy start of the season. That’s what everyone got. From a sporting point of view, European elimination was the low point.
‘In particular Marc Overmars (technical director) and I have frequently spoken the months afterwards about the permanent volatility of the first team. We are not confident that we will achieve the level that we are striving for with Ajax in this way. I regret this.
‘Together with the supervisory board, we as management… are grateful to Marcel, Dennis and Hennie for their efforts for the club.’
Edwin van der Sar thanked Bergkamp, Keizer and Spijkerman for their work at Ajax
The Dutch giants were knocked out of Champions League qualifying in the second round by Nice.
They were then drawn against Rosenborg in Europa League qualifying but lost 4-2 across two legs.
Keizer was brought in by Ajax in the summer after Peter Bosz joined Borussia Dortmund – a role he was sacked from earlier in December.
Bergkamp has been at Ajax since 2011, when Frank De Boer was at the helm.
Both Bosz and De Boer – sacked by Crystal Palace after only 77 days in September – are obvious contenders to return to Holland while it remains to be seen if Ronald Koeman would be interested in a second spell as manager after being sacked by Everton in October.
Ajax were knocked out of the Dutch Cup on Wednesday night by Twente on penalties after drawing 1-1.
Justin Kluivert put Ajax ahead before former Liverpool and Stoke winger Oussama Assaidi hit a 90th minute equaliser.