The Ajax Project

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adiek22

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Welcome to my Football Manager 2017 Story! I won't be posting often, as I have many other commitments, but I hope this is a thread that you will look forward to reading occasionally!

THE MISSION


Recovery:Take Ajax back to the top of the Eredivisie.
Revitalization: Establish Ajax once again as the premier club for developing world-class players.
Redemption: Become the best team in the world once again.

RULES


No purchasing players over the age of 21, unless they have previously played at AFC Ajax.

At the end of each season, net transfer spend must be negative (total transfer revenue > total transfer spending).

Must give 3 youth prospects (19 years or younger) their full first-team debut in the Dutch Cup, Eredivisie, or European Competitions every season.

Only purchase a player if fee allows for significant future profit (for example, no buying an 18-year-old wonderkid for 15 million, no matter how good he is).

I hope everyone enjoys this story. Like I said, I won't make any guarantees about frequent posting, but when I do post, the content will be quality. Feedback is much appreciated. Thank you!
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View attachment 122644View attachment 122639Former Ajax youth product-turned-club legend Ronald Melchiot has joined Ajax as manager! The attacking midfielder amassed 50 caps and 16 goals for the Dutch National Team and spent his whole career at the Amsterdam ArenA (disregarding two loan spells at Twente and Den Haag). He led Ajax to a Europa League title and countless Dutch Cup and Eredivisie titles. He was one of the stars during the club's historic 2024/2025 season: the Europa League win and undefeated domestic season!

View attachment 122642Melchiot's stats as a player, in his prime. He was extremely quick, and his physicality was equaled by his drive to succeed and technical ability.

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As a manager, Ronald is extremely focused on working with younger players. Coming from the Ajax Academy, he knows that to succeed as a squad the Amsterdammers will need to produce from within their own academy.

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Exclusive Interview with Ronald Melchiot: Ajax's 'New Hope'

De Telegraaf: So Ronald, you're back to work at Ajax for the first time since your retirement. How does it feel?
Ronald Melchiot: It's an awesome feeling, Rick, indescribable. The fans are amazing, I've met with the players and they're very optimistic about this season, and my family has been supportive of me, as always. I can't wait to get back to work.

DT: Speaking of work, Ajax has some work to do itself. The club hasn't won the league for two seasons now, a trend that many fans hope you will reverse. What do you plan to do to achieve domestic success?
RM: Yes, our first priority has to be to win the league. The fans expect domestic success and that's something I'm going to pride myself on achieving. How will I do this you asked? I won't be making blockbuster signings like the previous managers, no. I will train my team hard every day. I will demand 100% effort from everyone in the club, whether it be a star player or youth prospect. We will win the league by playing attacking, spectacular football that the likes of Cruyff, van Basten, and Bergkamp played. We will be determined to achieve victory in every match. That is how we will win the league.

DT: You mentioned that you won't be making any large signings, whatsoever. With that being said, what is your transfer policy?
RM: We will only sign young players who have great potential. It is crucial to the club's structure that we do not overspend on anyone; we must maintain a positive cash flow to keep the integrity of the club's financial structure. Yes, it is very possible that our star players may be sold. Fans shouldn't worry though, because me and my scouting team will always have a replacement lined up, either via transfer or the academy. I got my start as a player because Ajax sold their star midfielder, so I was the replacement.

DT: Thank you very much, Ronald. We are all looking forward to your tenure here at Ajax.
RM: Thank you!




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You've heard it before. You know Ajax produces young talent. You know they have some of the best training facilities in the world. You know they have an amazing team of scouts that regularly uncover young gems across Europe. The question is: How will I use these assets?

Well, first off, I need to have great staff to help players reach their maximum potential.

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Koen van Dijk. Talk about taking chances. A regen staff member; he's never had a job before. Let's just say, hypothetically, he's been friends with Ronald for a few years because they're both avid Football Manager players. Koen is revered as one of the best FM players of all-time. Ronald gave him a run out with managing the youth squads over the summer and he did such an amazing job at organizing, motivating, and helping players improve that he was actually offered the job of managing the B Team (Jong Ajax) in the Dutch Second Division. Talk about a story!
In all seriousness, he has 19 Working With Youngsters which is insane for a 31-yera-old coach. All of his other stats crucial for a manager really aren't that bad, and he has so much time to improve. This is what you need to look for in FM: not just players with good potential, but staff members with potential. While there may be a 75-year-old Head of Youth Development available with amazing stats, how much will that really help you if he'll retire after a season or two? What I'm saying is that Koen van Dijk as a 31-y/o coach is like a 17-y/o prospect in the youth squad in terms of potential growth.

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Another crucial asset for us will be our ability to loan out youngsters. We have an affiliate for that already, Almere City, but they're in the same division at Jong Ajax. Why wouldn't I just keep players in my B Team instead of loaning them out when they'll be playing in the same division and have better facilities (in case you didn't guess, Almere's facilities aren't as good as Ajax's). I'll send players who just really need playing time to Almere. But the players who are good, too good for the B Team but not good enough for Ajax 1, will be travelling to Germany to play for Greuther Furth. They play in the 2.Bundesliga, but they are one of the best clubs so promotion is a possibility.

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I'll leave you guys with a little transfer update. I know how addicting it is to see screenshots of new players, so here you go! (I made a lot of transfers, but that's for the next update.)

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Alexander Isak: what a talent! 16-years-old and he's already almost a rotational option. Well-balanced stats, physically adept, technically sound. I'll train him as an advanced forward but I'm glad he's got the stats to be a Treqartista; he'll be good at distributing the ball, a crucial ability to have to play in my system.

Speaking of systems, in next (mega) update we will see:

My tactics
My crucial players
The rest of the transfers
Pre-season summary






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Good luck! Like your updates. Easy and interesting to read. KUTGW!
 
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