Ajax appoint Francesco Fariolo, the first Italian guy to manage the Eredivisie side

Ajax made such a bold breakthrough about how they prepare for the upcoming Eredivisie season. The most successful side in Eredivisie appointed Francesco Farioli to be the team’s head coach, making him the first Italian to get the job.

Farioli was handed a three-year contract. The former Nice tactician is expected to get Ajax back on the winning track after finishing the season in fifth position, their worst in 10 years. 

Farioli signing is a match-made in heaven

Ajax’s Technical Director Alex Kroes spoke through the club’s latest announcement that the reason why they hired Farioli was because of the Italian’s work ethic. Kroes admired Farioli’s orientation to the details which aligned with the club’s vision.

“Francesco is a coach who is passionately engaged in his profession, thinks everything through to the smallest detail, and can effectively convey his thoughts to his team,” Kroes said. “We became very enthusiastic through the conversations we had with him, but also through the information we had gathered about him beforehand.”

On the other hand, Farioli admitted that he has admired Ajax for a long time. One of the reasons why was Johan Cruyff, who introduced the modern approach of how to play effectively as a team.

“The football I love came from here,” he said. “Cruijff was one of the game changers. Ajax is one of the few clubs in the world that has a clear DNA.”

The Amsterdam-based team was struggling during the beginning 2023/24 season. Ajax was stranded in the relegation zone with collecting only five points from seven games, which was their worst start in history. 

Things started to get better when John van ‘t Schip came in and gradually brought Ajax back to the surface. But Van ‘t Schip had only a deal to lead the squad until the end of the season which was last week. 

In spite of his relatively young age for a head coach, Farioli has become one of the names with huge potential in world football. Beginning his managerial career in 2009, the 35-year old was the youngest ever head coach in Turkish Super Lig in 2021. Last season, he brought Nice to finish fifth in the final week.

ALSO READ

• BREAKING: Vitesse Arnhem is relegated, how could this happen to the Eredivisie side?
• Ajax looking to bring back old boss Erik ten Hag from Manchester United