Jordi Cruyff on Ajax’s Bold Rebuild: Confidence in New Signings
Ajax have spent the summer acting like Ajax again. Big names, big statements, and a clear message from sporting director Jordi Cruyff: the club’s badge still opens doors.
Speaking to ESPN NL after a demanding transfer window, Cruyff cut a confident figure as he reflected on a recruitment drive that brought in genuine heavyweight quality. Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Sofyan Amrabat and Julian Brandt have all signed up for a project built on revival rather than comfort.
Say the name, and eyes light up. Cruyff sees it every time.
“When you mention the name Ajax, you can see from their eyes that they are very interested,” he said. “We have to get back to the top. Senior players want to compete and perform at their peak right now.”
That pull, he argued, remains Ajax’s greatest weapon. Not money. Not a glamorous league. The idea of Ajax.
Brandt, secrecy and a personal victory
For Cruyff, the window wasn’t just about the headline arrivals, but about how Ajax went about their work. No leaks. No soap opera. Just a quiet move and a Friday night announcement that jolted Europe.
The signing of Julian Brandt, he admitted, was his personal highlight. Negotiations took place under total lockdown, with the deal only surfacing when Ajax chose to reveal it.
“For once, we as a club showed that we determine when information comes out,” Cruyff said. He then reached for one of Johan Cruyff’s most famous lines: “If you don’t shoot, you will never score. Sometimes you just have to try.”
That quote summed up his approach to the window. Take calculated shots. Be brave. But stay in control.
Cruyff also explained that his pitch to players goes beyond tactics and spreadsheets. He leans into human connection, into understanding what a player wants from the next phase of his career. The football talk comes, but only after the person across the table feels seen.
Free deals, loans and a financial bet he insists is safe
Outside the club, critics have questioned whether Ajax are stretching their wage structure by bringing in high-profile names, even on free transfers or loans. Cruyff didn’t duck the issue. He pushed back.
“This is not risky at all,” he insisted. For him, the real danger lies elsewhere. “The biggest risk is paying expensive transfer fees from club to club. Eight of eleven new players arrived for free or on loan.”
No fee, more flexibility. That’s the logic. If a big signing on a free doesn’t work, the club aren’t stuck with a transfer amortisation problem. Ajax, Cruyff argued, have protected themselves against the sort of financial damage that can follow a failed big-money buy.
He also stressed that the numbers support his stance. Sales revenue this summer has significantly outweighed expenditure. The balance sheet, he said, remains healthy, even without Champions League income.
In other words: this rebuild is bold, but not reckless.
Accepting the food chain – and looking at PSV
Not every departure has pleased Ajax supporters. Losing young talents such as Mika Godts to Paris Saint-Germain hurts, especially for a club that prides itself on developing and keeping the next big thing, at least for a while.
Cruyff didn’t pretend otherwise. He framed it as the reality of Ajax’s place in the modern game and of the Eredivisie’s role as a launchpad to the very top.
Ajax nurture. The superclubs harvest. The cycle continues.
What matters now is what this radically reshaped squad looks like when the whistle blows. The first major examination arrives immediately: De Topper against PSV.
PSV bring continuity, stability, and a settled core. Ajax bring upheaval, star power, and a sense of something new being built at speed. Cruyff recognises the contrast but refuses to lower expectations.
While acknowledging PSV’s established structure, he made it clear that Ajax still aim high. Compromise is not part of the vocabulary.
“We have taken a big step in the right direction,” he said. “Our job now is to prove it tangibly on the pitch.”
The window is closed. The talking is almost done. The next verdict comes in Eindhoven.
