Adam Ait Ali Oulhaj has signed his first professional contract with AZ. The player of AZ Under 17 signs a contract for one year with an option for another year.
“I got a new position as ‘number eight’ this year. That took some getting used to, but I feel I have made steps,” says Oulhaj, who made the switch from AFC to AZ in 2016 and initially focused on the striker position. “I can see the game better in front of me and because of the place where I now play, I started coaching more.”
Head of youth academy Paul Brandenburg sees that Oulhaj has developed well in his new position. “He has become a more complete footballer in the past season. We would now like to see if he succeeds in making the same steps in the coming years.”
AZ has recently given more contracts to talents from its own youth academy. Maxim Dekker, Fedde de Jong, Mexx Meerdink and Iman Griffith are stuck with the Alkmaarders for a long time.