The current head coach of Ajax officially said, “We are the back,” with boldness.

The current head coach of Ajax officially said, “We are the back,” with boldness.

Ajax‘s current head coach boldly stated, “We are the back.”

Michael Valkanis, the current head coach of Hapoel Tel Aviv, will be named as assistant trainer. The Australian (Melbourne, 23, 1974), who previously worked with Van ‘t Schip at the Greek national team, Melbourne City, and PEC Zwolle, has signed a deal until June 30, 2024. Hedwiges Maduro, who took over as head coach this week, returns to his position as assistant trainer. Dave Vos, the temporary assistant trainer, will resume his duties as Jong Ajax’s head coach today.

Van ‘t Schip (Fort St. John, December 30, 1963) played in Ajax’s first team from 1981 to 1992, when he moved to the Italian club Genoa. After his active football career, he worked as a youth and assistant trainer at Amsterdam from 1997 to 2001. Following a season as head coach of FC Twente, he returned to the club as Jong Ajax trainer (2002–2004).

In the summer of 2004, the former international (41 caps) was named assistant coach of the Netherlands national team. In 2008, Van ‘t Schip returned to Ajax as an assistant trainer for the first team. He was technical director of Melbourne Heart, a newly formed club, beginning in late 2009, and later became head coach at Chivas Guadalajara and Melbourne City. In 2017, he returned to the Netherlands to serve as the head coach of PEC Zwolle. From 2019 until 2021, he served as head coach of Greece’s national team.

Jan van Halst: “John is a true Ajax man, with extensive national and international experience both on and off the field. To us, he is the appropriate individual to improve our performance. First, he will serve as head coach of the first team, but in the long run, we anticipate him taking on a different technical job. John has already worked successfully with Michael Valkanis as an assistant trainer, and we believe Michael is a valuable addition to our technical staff.”

Van ‘t Schip: “I’m overjoyed that the trade has been completed, and I’m excited to start at the club where it all began for me. Conversations with everyone involved left me feeling terrific. Ajax needs to find his way back up, and I’m happy to help.”