After fourteen months, Ajax has found a successor for Marc Overmars as director of football affairs. The 50-year-old German Sven Mislintat has signed a three-year contract, the national champion announced this morning.
In recent days, Mislintat’s name has been circulating emphatically in various media. The new technical boss has been without a club since his departure from VFB Stuttgart. He previously worked as head of scouting for Borussia Dortmund for more than ten years and then spent a year in England at Arsenal.
Mislintat will work in Amsterdam with Klaas Jan Hunterlaar, who will remain connected to Ajax as technical manager. The other technical manager, Gerry Hamstra, has left Ajax.
General director Edwin van der Sar says he is happy that Ajax can appoint an internationally experienced football director. “We were looking for someone who stands for offensive and attractive football, has an international network and has an eye for both scouting and development and growth of our own youth. Sven fits the profile and he made a very good impression on us from the first conversations in February .”
Mislintat will officially start next month. “I was born and raised in Dortmund and grew up in the shadow of big, traditional clubs. Since my childhood, I see Ajax as one of the most iconic football clubs in the world. It is a great honor to become Ajax’s director of football affairs.”
Last year Ajax tried to seduce Alex Kroes to work at Ajax. Kroes eventually exchanged Go Ahead Eagles for a director position at AZ. Another prospective candidate, Liverpool’s Julian Ward, also declined the honour.
Peter Bosz
One of the first tasks for Mislintat will be appointing a head coach for next season. John Heitinga, who succeeded Alfred Schreuder in the meantime, has indicated that he would like to continue. It would not be strange if Peter Bosz returns to Ajax. Bosz and Mislintat know each other from their joint period at Borussia Dortmund and Mislintat later tried to bring Bosz to Stuttgart.
Bosz was coach of Ajax in the 2016/2017 season when Ajax reached the final of the Europa League. In it, Ajax lost 2-0 to Manchester United. The national title went to Feyenoord that season.