Ajax agree compensation fee for Sparta Rotterdam’s head coach Maurice Steijn | OneFootball

Ajax are one step closer of getting their man in Maurice Steijn after agreeing a compensation package with Sparta Rotterdam, Voetbal International reports.

Reports have speculated the package to be in the region of €400,000 for the former ADO Den Haag head coach who joined Sparta in April 2022 but has a contract at Sparta Stadion Het Kaastel until June 2024.

The 49-year-old head coach is set to take the helm at the Johan Cruyff Stadium as the permanent replacement to Alfred Schreuder who was sacked earlier on last season.

News broke at the weekend how the Dutch giants were keen to bring in Steijn as their new head coach after a disappointing end to John Heitinga’s interim tenure which saw the club finish third and miss out on a Champions League spot.

The club is confident in getting their main man ahead of the pre-season schedule which will be an added boost as they look to put themselves as one of the frontrunners in next season’s title race.

Under Schreuder, the Amsterdam-based club started the season strongly winning nine of their first 11 Eredivisie matches – a solid start after losing Erik ten Hag in the summer to Manchester United.

However, a seven-match winless run saw the end of Schreuder’s short-time at the club with the then-Dutch champions fifth in the league standings.

A seven-match winning run under Heitinga was the dream bounce-back effect Ajax fans and board alike were looking for with many looking to the 39-year-old as a potential long-term replacement to keep the club on the right track.

However, that form soon dropped with the club picking up just four wins in their last nine league matches and meant they could only secure a place in the Europa League play-off spots.

The appointment of Steijn will be a reassuring one with other title rivals moving quickly in the market or retaining their head coach.

Reigning champions Feyenoord were close to losing Arne Slot to Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur before a last-minute u-turn saw him stay at De Kuip and has since signed a new long-term deal.

Elsewhere, PSV Eindhoven, who saw a surprised resignation from Ruud van Nistelrooy, have appointed Peter Bosz as his replacement.

GBeNeFN | Tom Phillips