Transfer news: Daley Blind is back at Ajax for a third spell, with a one-season deal signed
Daley Blind is heading home. According to Mike Verweij at De Telegraaf, the 36-year-old Dutch defender is set to join Ajax for a third time in his career on a one-season contract with an option to extend. Blind had been without a club since leaving Girona, where he worked under Mikel, who is now Ajax boss. It is that connection between the two men that helped push the move through at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
“It was Mikel’s wish to work with this experienced player again at Ajax. He is best placed to pass on Mikel’s ideas, having played under him for the past three seasons,” Verweij says. That carries real weight in the club’s thinking. Blind knows the system and the Spanish coach’s philosophy better than most, making him a shrewd addition to help bring the younger players up to speed.
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A club man being lined up for work behind the scenes
This third spell at Ajax fits into a bigger picture. The club have already made it clear they want to prepare this homegrown figure for a role inside the institution once his playing days are over. It is a strong message to a player developed in Amsterdam, who has worn the red and white twice before spells at Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
At 36, Blind does not see himself as a player on the way out just yet and plans to bring his experience and leadership to a squad being rebuilt under Mikel. His return to Ajax feels like the natural closing chapter for a player so closely tied to the Dutch club, before he one day perhaps takes on another role at the place that made him.
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