Eredivisie giants tell seven players they are surplus to requirements through a WhatsApp message.
Nigerian striker Chuba Akpom was part of an unfortunate group of seven players who were banished from the Ajax first team through a WhatsApp message.
What happened?
The wheels have been turning at Ajax, and to reset the club’s fortunes after a spell of mismanagement under former sporting director Sven Mislintat, the new man in charge, Alex Cruz, has placed seven players on the chopping block.
The players in question are Akpom, Jay Gorter, Branco Van den Boomen, Christian Rasmussen, Borna Sosa, Kristian Hlynsson and Carlos Fobbs. According to De Telegraf, the players learnt they were surplus to requirements through a WhatsApp text.
Their access to the club’s first team facilities was revoked, and they were provided with a physiotherapist to help them keep fit while they sort out their future.
The reaction
The players’ union in the Netherlands, VVCS, released a statement addressing the incident, criticising Ajax for mistreating their players.
“The VVCS is surprised by the ban imposed on seven Ajax players under contract. These players are being explicitly isolated from their colleagues in the first team.”
“The VVCS considers this to be a form of improper employment and unnecessary public damage to players who bear no responsibility for the situation that has arisen. Rather, they are victims of Ajax’s misguided policy, which gave Mislintat free rein at the time.”
Ajax signed Akpom from Middlesbrough for €12.3 million in the summer of 2023. He spent one and a half seasons with the squad before being loaned out to Lille for the second half of last season. He has now been told by the club to seek a permanent exit, with three years remaining in his contract.
