One thing is particularly striking: Julian Brandt is thriving again at Ajax despite serious doubts
Julian Brandt has had a strong first season at Ajax so far and has now even won over his chief critic, Rafael van der Vaart. One statistic clouds the picture, however – but there is a simple explanation for it.
Julian Brandt has always carried a goal threat of his own. But at Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, he was better known in the Bundesliga as a provider, capable of playing the killer pass to put his strikers through on goal.
In Brandt's first season at Ajax Amsterdam, the numbers tell a different story. The 30-year-old has flourished as a goalscorer in the Netherlands, scoring eight goals in 15 appearances for Ajax across all competitions. But Brandt has yet to register an assist in 2026/27.
While Brandt's unusually high scoring rate is surely partly down to the lower standard of the Eredivisie and Conference League compared with the Bundesliga and Champions League, it leaves a question: why has the creative midfielder, who plays as the most attacking of the three midfielders in Ajax's typical 4-3-3, not set up a single goal? Has he become more of a goalscorer than a provider?
Julian Brandt still without an assist for Ajax: The explanation is quite simple
No. Brandt is still putting his team-mates in scoring positions at Ajax, but they have yet to turn his passes into goals.
Marcos Leonardo, signed from Al-Hilal in the summer for just under 20 million euros amid high expectations, is the prime example. Brandt has put the Brazilian through one-on-one with the opposing goalkeeper numerous times, but Leonardo has failed to convert those big chances. He is not alone. Ajax need too many opportunities to score and are nowhere near clinical enough.
Had his team-mates been more clinical, Brandt would surely have an assist or two by now. In the 1-1 draw against NEC Nijmegen on matchday eight, the 48-cap Germany international created eight scoring chances, more than all the other Ajax players combined, who managed only five. He has also been by far his team's best player at creating chances in the Eredivisie so far this season.
Julian Brandt has even won over Rafael van der Vaart
The assists will inevitably come. Brandt, who was not offered a new contract by Borussia Dortmund and therefore joined the Dutch club in the summer, has already settled in well at his new club. He scores, dictates play and delights spectators with his technical brilliance and several spectacular goals.
Even his chief critic, Rafael van der Vaart, who was sceptical about him at first, has been won over. The club legend now hails the German newcomer as "Ajax's best player", but Brandt is not particularly interested: "Last time, when he said something different, I was confronted with that a lot too. I don't know, I'm always like: 'Just leave me alone with that rubbish,'" Brandt said on the 'Spielmacher' podcast.
