Van Basten to coach Ajax

Feb 22, 2008 - 7:41 PM AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands (Ticker) - Marco van Basten on Friday signed a four-year deal to take charge of Ajax at the conclusion of Euro 2008 - but only after holding lengthy talks with club bosses about their plans for the Amsterdam giants.

The 43-year-old Holland coach, who had a spell overseeing Ajax reserves in the 2003/04 season, will succeed Adrie Koster at the Amsterdam ArenA and will begin work on July 1.

Van Basten's assistants John van't Schip and Rob Witschge will join him at Ajax.

"The goal is always the same at Ajax," said Van Basten on the club's official website. "But it is down to the coach as to how he achieves it."

The former Ajax and AC Milan striker was clear on what he expects from the club's board.

"For me it was important to assess beforehand what I would start with," he added. "Because of that we had several talks about all kinds of things.

"I will not go deep into the agreements we have made but I can say that there is clarity about the transfer policy and that I know what I am getting into. And that has all been put on paper."

Van Basten has a mixed record in charge of the Dutch national side since taking over from Dick Advocaat in 2004, although it is likely he will be judged ultimately by what happens at Euro 2008.

High-profile fall-outs with Clarence Seedorf, Mark van Bommel and Ruud van Nistelrooy, the latter of which has now been resolved, has cast doubt on his ability to deal with big-name players but he can point to the fact the Oranje have qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals and this summer's European Championships as proof that his methods work.

He announced in December he would not be renewing his contract with the Dutch FA (KNVB) when it expires at the end of June.

He is confident he has made the right choice to return to Ajax after being impressed by the way the club conducted themselves during the negotiations.

"Everyone at Ajax wants to become a champion, certainly (technical director) Martin van Geel," he said. "Van Geel gets a lot of criticism but I had excellent talks with him. That also applies to the board members.

"My agent Perry Overeem told me that he had the feeling in all the talks at which I wasn't present that he was doing business with able and correct people."

Van Geel was pleased to have got his man.

"We are delighted with the news," he told the club's official website. "They (Van Basten, Van't Schip and Witschge) are three ambitious coaches with an Ajax pedigree and all three have had an international career as a player and now they also have enough experience as coaches.

"It's also very good that we have clarity about the technical staff for the coming seasons."

Under Koster, who has been in caretaker charge since Henk ten Cate quit the post in October to become part of Avram Grant's backroom staff at Chelsea, Ajax is currently second in the Eredivisie, nine points behind defending champion PSV Eindhoven.