Marijn Beuker had already hailed him internally as the Eredivisie’s next big star, but months later Oscar Gloukh is barely featuring for Ajax. The Israeli midfielder, signed for nearly fifteen million euros, spends most of his time on the bench and has so far failed to live up to the sky-high expectations. His situation is symbolic of the failing transfer policy in Amsterdam.
According to the Algemeen Dagblad, director of football Beuker was absolutely convinced that Ajax had signed a future sensation. “Beuker didn’t have a shred of doubt,” said Ajax watcher Johan Inan. “He’s going to tear the Eredivisie apart,” Beuker said internally about Gloukh at the end of July. In hindsight, those words appear to have been particularly optimistic, given his current role in the team.
Gloukh was brought in as one of the summer’s promising big-money signings, but eight months on, little remains of that. The number 10 barely features at the Johan Cruijff Arena and seems a long way from a regular starting spot.
Raúl Moro, another expensive summer signing, has also since left. The Spaniard opted for a move to Osasuna in January, without having really made an impression in Amsterdam. According to the newspaper, Gloukh and Moro symbolise a broader failure in the transfer market.
Since Marc Overmars’ departure in 2022, Ajax have signed no fewer than forty new players. Yet only one signing is regarded as a genuine success: Jordan Henderson. Strikingly, the experienced midfielder was not even signed by the permanent technical staff, but by interim director Kelvin de Lang.
The Algemeen Dagblad points to several reasons for the policy’s failure. Within the club, there has been a constant turnover of management, resulting in a lack of a clear direction. A clear technical plan with a defined playing style and appropriate player profiles appears to have been lacking for a long time.
Although attempts have been made to introduce structure, these often remained theoretical. Coaches regularly changed their approach, and the desired player profiles were also constantly shifting. Consequently, there was no consistent policy, and new signings were not always integrated effectively.
Furthermore, the influence of coaches also plays a role in the varying success of players. Under Francesco Farioli, some signings are performing better, whereas under previous coaches they were actually a disappointment. This underlines how much success depends on the context in which players find themselves.
The Algemeen Dagblad’s conclusion is harsh. Ajax currently lacks the stable foundation it had a few years ago with Van der Sar, Overmars and Ten Hag. Whereas clarity and cohesion prevailed back then, these are now hard to find, with all the consequences that entails.