Mikel Arteta could be set to lose his trusted Arsenal assistant, as Albert Stuivenberg has been linked with the vacant job at Ajax.
The former Manchester United coach joined Arsenal alongside Arteta in 2019, and has been his right-hand man throughout his managerial career.
Stuivenberg led the team as Arsenal put in an impressive performance against Manchester City in 2022, whilst Arteta was absent with illness, and he has clearly been a useful asset to his coaching staff.
Stuivenberg touted for Ajax job
Dutch journalist Milos Gouka has now claimed that Stuivenberg could be a strong contender for the job at Ajax, who find themselves in a crisis after a nightmare start to the season.
“The Ajax game must be the Ajax game. Then you have to have a trainer who knows how to sharpen the patterns for attacking football,” Gouka stated, via Dutch outlet Vandaag Inside.
“I don’t know if he would do it, but Albert Stuivenberg, who is very close to Arteta at Arsenal, would be someone who can bring football to Ajax. I have no idea if he would want that.”
Would Stuivenberg be a big loss for Arteta?
Arteta has already lost Steve Round and Gary O’Driscoll from his backroom staff this season, and losing a third key figure in Stuivenberg would not present an ideal situation for him.
It is unclear who he could turn to if Stuivenberg departs, and if he is offered the job, it seems far too good an opportunity to turn down.
Although Ajax are struggling at the moment, they remain one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and the Dutchman’s connection to Louis van Gaal could make him a good fit for the head coach role.
There has been talk of Santi Cazorla returning to the club in a coaching capacity, but the former Arsenal hero is currently playing for his boyhood club Real Oviedo, and it seems unlikely that he would choose to leave them mid-season.
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