5 Ajax wonderkids who need to move to a big club this summer
One of the powerhouses of football in the yesteryears, Ajax Amsterdam have come a long way from winning the European Championships to being discredited as a team that harnesses talents and sells them for profit.
A club rich in European tradition with 4 UEFA European/Champions League trophies, 6th in the list of Champions League winners by numbers, Ajax has seen their European runs being reduced to merely a single appearance in the quarterfinals in the premier club competition since 2002/03 season.
The Ajax team of the early 2010s is the latest example of this with players like Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen, Daley Blind (who later rejoined) and Davy Klaassen all being sold for profits and effectively forcing the club to restructure after the loss of their star players. The players themselves look at the Dutch giants as a stepping stone to move to a bigger club rather than stay and help the club grow.
With all this in mind, let's take a look at 5 wonderkids in Ajax who should make the move abroad to fulfill their potential.
The stats are based on statistics provided by Whoscored.com and trasfermarkt.co.uk.
#5 David Neres
The next line of Brazilian superstars in the making, David Neres is a product of the famed Sao Paulo youth academy. The winger joined the Brazilian giants at the tender age of 10 years, spent 9 years in the academy before making his debut in October 2016.
A year later Ajax came calling for the exciting winger as David Neres joined the Dutch giants for a reported fee of €12 million after impressing in the Brazilian league.
The first full season for the Dutch giants saw Neres making an impressive 11 assists and scoring 14 goals in 38 appearances. This season though the young Brazilian seems to have found another level to his game after the turn of the year.
The arrival of Dusan Tadic saw the young Brazilian's appearance being restricted this season which resulted in rumors of an impending move away from the Dutch giants in January. The Brazilian failed to materialize a move away from the club but in a way proved to be a blessing in disguise as he broke into the starting XI soon after, playing an important role in the Dutch giant's impressive win over Los Blancos.
Quick, tricky and an increasing appetite for goal and ability to operate on either flank as well as in false no.9 position makes him one of the most versatile and talented youngsters in the world at the moment.
The decision making of the 22-year old has improved drastically while growing into a player that tracks back and helps in defence as well as being equally good in attack.
David Neres has so far made 61 appearances for the Dutch giants scoring 25 goals and making 22 assists in the process. David Neres recently became a full Brazilian international as he made his debut a couple of days ago against Panama.