Have Ajax already got Menno Geelen in mind as a successor? ‘That name is doing the rounds’

Siem de Jong is regularly mentioned at Ajax as a possible successor to Menno Geelen, Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf reports on the Kick-off podcast.

On Friday afternoon, Geelen surprised many by suddenly announcing his departure from Ajax. The managing director will step down from his duties in Amsterdam in April 2027, despite having a contract until June 2027.

Ajax's supervisory board are bringing in an external agency to find Geelen's successor. The club's management want a new managing director at the helm in the Johan Cruyff ArenA before 1 April next year.

Despite that search, Verweij says Siem de Jong's name often comes up in the Johan Cruyff ArenA. "But I think they'll set their sights on a bigger name first."

Valentijn Driessen hopes the new managing director will get on well with Jordi Cruyff. "Although Cruyff has a two-year contract, and hopefully the managing director will be there a bit longer," he concludes.

After a traineeship at Ajax in 2023, Siem de Jong is now part of technical director Jordi Cruyff's staff. He also acts as a sounding board for players and coaches.

He made 276 appearances for Ajax as a player, scoring 88 goals and providing 52 assists. He won the Dutch title four times.