The search for a new director of football affairs is in full swing for AZ after the announced departure of Max Huiberts. Who would be the ideal successor to the successful director? AZ icon Barry van Galen, former player Martin van Ophuizen and AZ follower Marius Wiegman let their light shine.
Barry van Galen played more than 140 matches with Max Huiberts at AZ and the pair also worked together until his departure in 2019. “His departure was bound to happen at some point. As a technical director you are only working 24/7. Maybe he has seen everything and is tired of the work. It also requires so much energy and football is also becoming increasingly busy.”
Former AZ player and agent Martin van Ophuizen describes Huiberts as a real AZ director. “He has been associated with the club for so long and has really become the face of AZ. I can imagine that you always have to be on in football. That also has a significant impact on your private life, always being lived.”
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For AZ follower Marius Wiegman, the departure is a ‘shame and a shame’, especially due to the continuity in the management. “At AZ you always have familiar faces: Earnest Stewart, Marcel Brands and Huiberts. The biggest shame is that there is no obvious replacement, normally you could fill one. I read his farewell as a bit the same as with Robert Eenhoorn (former general manager AZ ed.). He spoke of ‘metal fatigue’. Huiberts seems ready for a new challenge.”
What was Huiberts’ most important transfer?
The transfer that put AZ on the map for Van Galen and Wiegman was that of Vincent Janssen. The striker was picked up for half a million euros and sold a year later for 22 million euros to Tottenham Hotspur. Van Galen: “That’s what you dream about. That was a really nice one. You’re too fast for other clubs, it cost almost nothing and yields so much.”
“That transfer from Janssen was the first blow,” says Wiegman. “After that, we almost always asked for large transfer fees, for example with Guus Til and Alireza Jahanbakhsh. That has become the norm. Ernest Poku and Jayden Addai have shown again this summer that AZ can ask around 14 million euros for wingers. That is a world of difference with other sub-top players and the merit of Huiberts.”
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Van Ophuizen does not opt for a specific transfer, but rather for the system that Huiberts created. By, among other things, bringing Jong AZ to the second division and ultimately the first division, the flow of players to the first division has increased and there is a structural sale of our own youth. “Teun Koopmeiners, Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu are all players who result from that policy. He has set a standard for other clubs. Everyone in the stadium knows that Kees Smit and Troy Parrott will soon leave for high amounts.”
Ideal successor?
The trio finds it difficult to name a successor, but sees head of youth training Paul Brandenburg as a suitable candidate. Van Galen: “Steps were made during his youth, he worked with Huiberts for a long time, so I don’t think it’s a crazy idea.”
“Paul is a stable factor within AZ,” Van Ophuizen adds. “I can imagine that he has been included in decisions given the current situation. I just don’t know to what extent he aspires to do so. He is someone who is fully aware of all insights within the club and has recently extended his contract.”
Wiegman calls Brandenburg ‘a very capable man’. “It has often happened that AZ puts people forward internally. I don’t know whether he is good at negotiating. The club fulfills the technical directorship in a certain way. If you bring someone in from outside, the risk is very high that things will turn out differently. Carlos Aalbers (former scout of AZ ed.) is at NEC, but I would certainly also find it an interesting option.”