Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher, not necessarily strong player at current level
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average, don’t follow up
André Onana
Player profile:
- Nationality: Cameroonian
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 2/4/1996
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Samuel Eto’o academy, FC Barcelona
- Position: goalkeeper
- Preferred foot: right
André Onana is a very complete goalkeeper that stands out in reflexes, shot stopping and coming out of his goal. He is very agile and has a good passing ability as well. He sometimes saved Ajax from losing points in the last minutes of a game and has been really important for Ajax. In his first seasons at Ajax he made some mistakes per season, but now he hardly makes any mistakes.
Rating: A1
One of the top 10 goalkeepers in the world and every European top club that needs a new first goalkeeper should sign André Onana.
Donny van de Beek
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 18/04/1997
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Ajax youth
- Position: attacking midfielder
- Secondary position: central midfielder
- Preferred foot: right
Donny van de Beek has a very good technique, is able to combine with his teammates in the tight spaces and is a very calm finisher. He can position himself very well between the lines, he times his runs in-behind to perfection and he is in general just a very smart player. He could improve on his defensive contribution and his shooting from distance can be improved as well.
Rating: A1
He is ready to move to a better team, could be a good addition to FC Barcelona with his technique and quality to run in-behind.
Ryan Gravenberch
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 16/5/2002
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Ajax youth
- Position: central midfielder
- Secondary position: defensive midfielder
- Preferred foot: right
Ryan Gravenberch showed incredible bursts of speed, great dribbling ability and creative passing. He has a good physique, is one of the quickest of the Ajax team but gets isolated in midfield sometimes which means that he has to cover too much ground in defense. Sometimes, he needs to be less sloppy in possession. He would fit better in a more advanced role where he does not need to cover too much ground.
Rating: A2
He first needs to focus on becoming a regular starter for Ajax and work on his weaknesses. If he is being played in the right role, it will only take him a few seasons to outgrow Ajax and to move to a better team.
Edson Álvarez
Player profile:
- Nationality: Mexican
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 24/10/1997
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: CF America, Ajax
- Position: centre-back
- Secondary position: defensive midfielder, right-back
- Preferred foot: right
Edson Álvarez is an accurate passer that does not take any risks in possession. He wins a lot of defensive duels, is good through the air and is good at intercepting passes. However, he lacks mobility, handling speed, pace and agility to play for Ajax, especially in the Champions League, as handling speed is very important in such matches.
Rating: C
Even though he did decent for Ajax at times, I don’t think that he will ever become a regular starter for Ajax. He should leave out on loan and find back his confidence in order to get a nice move to a midtable team in the top 5 leagues.
Razvan Marin
Player profile:
- Nationality: Romanian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 23/05/1996
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Viitorul, Standard Liège
- Position: central midfielder
- Secondary position: defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder
- Preferred foot: right
As well as Edson Álvarez, Razvan Marin is a player that does not take many risks in his passing. He chooses the easiest option often, playing the pass sideways or backwards. In defense, he positions himself wrongly at times which lead to dangerous situations on the break. However, this happened to Ajax really often last year and Marin probably is not fully accountable for this problem in the matches that he played.
Rating: C
Razvan Marin should get a move on loan and his future at Ajax should still be considered in the summer of 2021, as he did not play to his full potential this season due to the lack of confidence I think. At Standard Liège he showed that he can be a decent midfielder. He could thrive in Belgium at Club Brugge.
Sergiño Dest
Player profile:
- Nationality: American & Dutch
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 3/11/2000
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Almere City, Ajax
- Position: right-back
- Secondary position: right-winger, left-back
- Preferred foot: right
Sergiño Dest is a very attacking-minded right-back that likes to dribble, combine in the tight spaces and get forward when he can. He is creative in the final third, is very quick and agile and able to create chances for his teammates as well. He sometimes tries to take on his opponent without being aware which leads to possession loss.
In defence, he is error-prone as he sometimes is not alert enough which leads to either him making a foul or losing possession in dangerous areas. However, his pace helps Ajax when the opposition has a counter-attack (for example at home against Lille).
Potential: A2
Would be a very good long-term signing for Bayern, as he suits their playing style very well and he has the potential to become a regular for them in the future. However, I would advise Sergiño Dest to stay at Ajax for at least one more year as he lacks consistency. Already a good player at current level, but he has strong potential to play higher as well.
Lisandro Martínez
Player profile:
- Nationality: Argentine
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 18/01/1998
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Newell’s Old Boys, Defensa y Justicia, Ajax
- Position: central defender
- Secondary position: left-back, defensive midfielder
- Preferred foot: left
Lisandro Martínez either plays as a central defender or a defensive midfielder. As a defensive midfielder, he helped Ajax improve their defensive structure by positioning himself well and intercepting passes. In possession, he played as a third central defender to improve the build-up.
Martínez has a very good technique and is able to break lines with his passing, especially when playing as a centre-back. He sometimes takes too long to play his pass though. The Argentine can pass his opponent, wins a lot of defensive duels and he has a great mentality. However, when he is out of position, he lacks pace and he can’t make up for these mistakes.
Rating: A2
Needs another season at Ajax and could think about moving to the top 5 leagues in the summer of 2021, depending on his development. Already a good player at current level, but he has strong potential to play higher as well. His best position for Ajax is central defender, but with the presence of Blind he should play as a defensive midfielder.
Perr Schuurs
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 26/11/1999
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Fortuna Sittard, Ajax
- Position: central defender
- Preferred foot: right
Perr Schuurs is a promising defender that has shown that his basic level is quite high. He anticipates well and has a good feel for positioning. His passing ability is good and he is able to play good cross passes. However, he is not the quickest and not the most agile defender which sometimes holds him back. Also, he sometimes seems to lose concentration which results in making a mistake which has cost Ajax some points.
Potential: A2
He has the potential to be a regular starter for Ajax in a few years and I feel like a full season in the Eredivisie would be good for him. Especially if Ajax sign a right central defender this transfer window. For now, he currently is not at the level that an Ajax centre-back requires.
Noussair Mazraoui
Player profile:
- Nationality: Moroccan
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 14/11/1997
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Ajax youth
- Position: right-back
- Secondary position: left-back, central midfielder
- Preferred foot: right
Noussair Mazraoui has been injured for the main part of the season and he lost his place in the starting line-up to Sergiño Dest. The right-back is decent in 1-on-1 defending and has good stamina to keep running. He wins most of his defensive duels, but he struggles against agile wingers.
In attack, Mazraoui has a good dribble, is able to combine well with Hakim Ziyech or David Neres and has a good shot from distance. Against low block teams, he can slow down the build-up though, especially if the opposition closes the center and Ajax are forced to build-up down the flanks.
Ratings: B1/2
For now, he needs to come back to full fitness and be more consistent for Ajax. I think that Sergiño Dest will be the first right-back next season and that Mazraoui will struggle to get some game time. I think that if he gets regular game time at Ajax, he could definitely make a step upwards at some point.
David Neres
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 3/3/1997
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: São Paulo
- Position: right-winger
- Secondary position: left-winger, attacking midfielder
- Preferred foot: left
After his amazing season in 2018/19, the spotlights were on David Neres. However, some injuries have held him back enormously and he only played 20 matches this season. He has great dribbling ability, the sense to time his run in-behind to perfection and a great technique.
Also, he is able to create chances for his teammates, his passing is very accurate for a winger and he is active in tracking back. He wins a lot of dribbles and the opposition constantly need to put two men on him, which creates space for other players.
Rating: A1
Due to his injury, he will probably stay at Ajax. However, I’m sure that he would succeed at a lot of elite European clubs. I also think that he could contend for a place in the starting line-up for the Brazilian national team.
Lassina Traoré
Player profile:
- Nationality: Burkinese
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 12/1/2001
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Rahimo FC, Ajax Cape Town, Ajax
- Position: striker
- Preferred foot: right
Lassina Traoré has had his breakthrough season this year and he has shown that he has great potential. He holds up play very well, he has a good physique, good technique and is able to pick out the right pass in the final third. Also, he keeps calm in the final third always.
Ratings: A2
Will most likely be the successor of Dusan Tadic when he retires. I can see him making it into the top 5 leagues for sure.
Carel Eiting
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 11/02/1998
- Current Club: Ajax
- Career: Ajax youth
- Position: defensive midfielder
- Secondary position: central midfielder, centre-back
- Preferred foot: left
Carel Eiting suffered from an injury in the main part of the first half of the season. He has great vision, a good passing range and is able to play nice over the top passes to create a chance for a teammate. Also, he is a very intelligent player. However, against better opponents, his lack of pace and agility hold him back to be a regular starter in the defensive midfielder position at Ajax.
Rating: C
I can not see him making it into the starting line-up for definite. He would most likely thrive at AZ, but is not good enough for Ajax in my opinion.