Erik ten Hag turns down Ajax return

Erik ten Hag has reportedly declined a return to his former club, AFC Ajax, where he enjoyed considerable success as a Dutch manager, most notably during the 2019 Champions League campaign.

Former director Marc Overmars’ dream of reuniting with the former manager is now unfeasible, having declined offers to return, and Overmars confirmed via De Telegraaf that his chapter with the Eredivisie giants is ‘over.’

According to NOS, Ten Hag, who managed the Dutch giants from 2017 to 2022, opted against a return to Amsterdam despite holding fruitful discussions with sporting director Alex Kroes.

Reports indicate that the 55-year-old concluded that “the conditions were not right for a successful partnership” and therefore declined to return to the struggling Ajax side.

Ten Hag, who is currently a free agent after being sacked by Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen just three games into his tenure in September, had been heavily linked with a sensational return to Amsterdam.

The former Manchester United manager had also been linked with a move to Premier League relegation-bound side Wolves, who are yet to win a single game after 11 games in the top flight.

Ajax were keen to bring back their most successful manager in recent years following the dismissal of John Heitinga last week.

The former Leverkusen boss also reportedly rejected an approach from Wolves, who are looking for a new manager after sacking Vitor Pereira.

He has now rejected a return to the club where he achieved the most success as a manager, as they seek to return to form, with pressure on them to find a new manager.

The Amsterdam club sit fourth in the Eredivisie, 11 points behind leaders PSV after 12 matches. They have only five wins so far and lost 2-1 to Utrecht in Fred Grim’s first game as interim coach. In the Champions League, they are bottom after four straight defeats.