Graham Potter “is in a very serious phase to take over as the next Ajax boss in the midst of their crisis season and could be in Amsterdam tomorrow”… just over a year after he was sacked by Chelsea
- Graham Potter has been unemployed since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023
- The former Brighton boss spoke to the struggling Dutch club earlier this month.
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Graham Potter could be in Amsterdam to finalize his return to Ajax management tomorrow, following talks with the Eredivisie club, according to reports.
Mail Sport reported that the former Chelsea and Brighton boss held talks with the struggling Dutch giants earlier this month, although at this stage he appeared to be keeping his options open.
The 48-year-old has been out of work since his dismissal at Stamford Bridge last April following poor form during a campaign which ended with the Blues finishing 12th in the Premier League.
Just seven months into his five-year contract, Potter was expected to look for the right club with a clear strategy and was happy to remain patient until the right emerged.
According to ESPN Netherlands, he takes another step towards this reality. They report that Potter and Ajax are in “very serious stages” and that he could travel to Amsterdam as early as Wednesday or Thursday.
Graham Potter is reportedly moving closer to a return to management following his dismissal by Chelsea last April.
Ajax recovered from their horror show against Feyenoord by beating Twente earlier this month.
Ajax made their approach earlier this year and other top clubs have also spoken to the manager as they consider changes to their management this summer.
The four-time European Cup winners, who added former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson to their ranks this season, bounced back from a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Feyenoord by beating Twente last Sunday.
This result moved them up to fifth place in the Eredivisie, although they are 33 points behind leaders PSV and seven points behind European qualification.
Ajax’s season of chaos continued after the club suspended new CEO Alex Kroes following “indications he was involved in insider trading”.
Kroes was named by the Dutch team last summer but was only able to take up his role in Amsterdam last month due to contractual complications with his former club AZ Alkmaar.
That nightmare campaign saw them sack Maurice Steijn as coach after a disastrous run of results in October which left them in the Eredivisie relegation zone with just five points – their worst run since 1954.
There was also fan fury and protests with a match against Feyenoord abandoned in September after flares and fireworks were thrown onto the pitch with the team trailing 3-0. Hours later, chef Pier Eringa resigned after six months in his post.
Days before, director of football Sven Mislintat was fired after just 129 days in the job following poor signings last summer.
Ajax fans have been in uproar this season and have been throwing flares and missiles onto the pitch. Their match against Feyenoord in September was abandoned.
John van t Schip is the temporary manager of the club, which currently occupies fifth place in the table.
Ajax were also knocked out of the Dutch Cup by minnows USV Hercules – an amateur team with students in their squad – in one of the most incredible results in history football in the country.
In a bid to steady the ship, the club announced that former manager Louis van Gaal would return to the club as an advisor in October, despite his recent revelations that he was suffering from prostate cancer.
