- Graham Potter has been out of work since his sacking by Chelsea in April 2023
- The ex-Brighton boss held talks with the struggling Dutch club earlier this month
- Phil Foden reveals what it’s REALLY like to play for Pep Guardiola in an It’s All Kicking Off special. Listen on Spotify, Apple or anywhere you get your podcasts
Graham Potter could be in Amsterdam to finalise a return to management with Ajax tomorrow, following talks with the Eredivisie club, according to reports.
Mail Sport reported that the former Chelsea and Brighton boss had held talks with the struggling Dutch giants earlier this month, though at that stage he was believed to be keeping his options open.
The 48-year-old has been out of work since his Stamford Bridge dismissal last April following a poor run of form in a campaign which ended with the Blues languishing in 12th in the Premier League.
After lasting only seven months into a five-year deal, Potter was understood to be looking for the right club with a clear strategy and was happy to remain patient until the right emerged.
According to ESPN Netherlands, he is a step closer to that reality. They report that Potter and Ajax are in ‘very serious stages stages’ and he could travel to Amsterdam as earlier as Wednesday or Thursday.
Graham Potter is reportedly inching closer to a return to management following his sacking 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 high profile clubs have also spoken to the coach manager as they consider changes to their leadership 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 loss to Feyenoord by beating Twente last Sunday.
The result saw them move up to fifth in the Eredivisie, though they are a mammoth 33 points behind leaders PSV and seven points adrift of European qualification.
Ajax’s season of chaos has continued after the club suspended their new CEO Alex Kroes after ‘indications he was engaged in insider trading’.
Kroes was appointed by the Dutch side last summer but was only able to begin his duties in Amsterdam last month due to contract complications with previous club AZ Alkmaar.
The nightmare campaign has seen them sack Maurice Steijn as manager following a disastrous set of results in October that left them in the Eredivisie relegation zone with just five points – their worst run since 1954.
There has been fan fury and protests too with a game against Feyenoord abandoned in September after flares and fireworks were thrown onto the pitch with the side 3-0 down. Just hours later, chief Pier Eringa stepped down after six months in the role.
Just days before, director of football Sven Mislintat was axed after just 129 days in the job following some poor signings last summer.
Ajax supporters have been in uproar this season and have thrown flares and missiles onto the pitch – with their game against Feyenoord in September being abandoned
John van t Schip is in temporary charge of the club, who are currently in fifth place in the table
Ajax were also dumped out of the Dutch Cup by minnows USV Hercules – an amateur side with students in their team – in one of the most incredible results in the country’s footballing history.
In a bid to steady the ship, the club announced 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.
