The head coach of Ajax Amsterdam has compared a recent signing to an all-time great, which is problematic.

Amsterdam soccer team Maurice Steijn, the manager of Ajax’s men’s team, has announced his resignation, effective immediately. The 49-year-old has spent less than five months as a member of the team. In those seven Eredivisie games, Ajax had one victory, two draws, and four losses to begin the 2023–2024 season. Hedwiges Maduro, the assistant coach, will assume leadership of the squad in the interim.

Ajax has only five points from seven Eredivisie games, which is the worst start in the team’s history. After defeating Ludogorets in the Europa League on August 24, the team has not won in two months. Since then, Ajax has participated in eight Eredivisie and Europa League games, losing five of them. In Group B of the Europa League, Ajax has two points and is in third place.

Out of the eighteen teams in the Eredivisie, where the bottom two teams are relegated at the end of each season, they are currently ranked seventeenth. FC Utrecht leads Ajax with six points after defeating the Amsterdamers 4-3 at home on Sunday. On November 2, FC Volendam, who currently have four points in the Eredivisie, will visit the Johan Cruijff Arena.

Ajax released a statement saying, “The club management and Steijn have agreed that the coach will step down from his position.” In June, Steijn agreed to a three-year contract with Ajax, moving from Sparta Rotterdam. According to the team, Steijn mentioned that, given the direction the team is going, he might not be the best candidate to lead the men’s team.

“I met with the board this morning, and we carried on our conversation later this afternoon. Though I regret it, we decided that this was in the best interests of Ajax,” Steijn remarked. “Anyone who knows me is aware that I have made every effort to return Ajax to its rightful place as a premier team. However, I was unable to do so.

Over the past few months, we have collaborated closely and professionally. However, the team’s growth and sporting achievements were lacking,” the club’s acting director, Jan van Halst, remarked. Early in September, Van Halst assumed command.

Over the last five weeks, Ajax has experienced a number of notable personnel changes. The investigation began when Sven Mislintat, the team’s technical director, was placed under investigation due to his dubious connections to talent agencies that were involved in the team’s 8 million euro transfer of left-back Borna Sosa.

The renowned manager Louis van Gaal also made a comeback to Ajax, serving as an outside consultant to the team’s supervisory board. Pier Eringa and Van Halst declared their intention to resign from the board, and Michel van Praag and Leo van Wijk were also nominated to join the supervisory board.

The November 17 general shareholders’ meeting is still required to approve the changes to the board’s composition. Citigroup, a US financial company, will probably be attending that meeting for the first time. Earlier this month, the company acquired a four percent ownership stake in Ajax.

“I hope Ajax finds its way back up, and I want to thank the people I’ve worked with and the supporters here.”