Crisis club Ajax face wonderkid exodus as Liverpool and Man City lurk

Tom Weber

1 Nov 2023 15:42 CDT
3 min read

Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Liverpool, Man City — © ProShots

Premier League clubs could be the big beneficiaries of Ajax's crisis.

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The Dutch giants have experienced their worst-ever start to a season and are firmly in crisis mode. Mired in the Eredivisie relegation zone and having had to make several high-profile personnel changes, notably sacking sporting director Sven Mislintat and coach Maurice Steijn, the Amsterdam side are mightily struggling.

While first-team performances have been dire, Ajax remain one of the world's best and most prolific producers of talent, but there is a real threat that many of their prospects, seeing what is happening to the club, could look for greener pastures. Especially those youngsters on short-term or expiring contracts are at risk of slipping away.

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Indeed, according to Algemeen Dagblad, one of the club's biggest youth prospects is being eyed by Manchester City, while Liverpool have been linked with two youngsters who already have senior experience in recent weeks.

Ajax exodus

The above-mentioned report states that 18-year-old Gabriel Misehouy is being watched by the Cityzens. "[Technical director] Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has not been able to reach an agreement with the current top scorer of Jong Ajax in recent months," the outlet writes, "and the situation has not become easier now that Manchester City have made their concrete interest known."

Fellow 18-year-old Stanis Idumbo, who was the best player in Ajax's youth setup last term, has also rejected Huntelaar's initial proposal and his former club Gent are trying to bring him back.

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As for Liverpool, they have been linked with wonderkid centre-back Jorrel Hato (who is still on a youth deal) and Devyne Rensch in recent times. At 17 and 20, respectively, both boast first-team experience, with Rensch also being eyed by Arsenal, according to recent reports.

Ajax are in serious danger of losing some of their biggest prospects.