Jan 17 (Reuters) - Ajax Amsterdam have appointed Jordi Cruyff as the new technical director, hoping the son of club great Johan can help return them to winning ways.
The 51-year-old Cruyff signed a contract until June 2028 in the Johan Cruyff Arena after Saturday's 2-2 draw with Go Ahead Eagles.
Ajax had announced last month they had reached a verbal agreement with Cruyff to take over as the new technical director in February, a vital position in the club hierarchy.
"It's very special to be here and to sign my contract. In the stadium named after my father and at the club that has been important in my life since I was young," Cruyff said in a club statement.
"Starting in February, I will be fully committed to Ajax. This gives me a great sense of responsibility and pride.
"Ajax is a unique club with a rich history, and I will do everything I can to add a new, successful chapter to it together," he added.
One of his pressing tasks will be to find a coach for the club, who fired John Heitinga in November and have Fred Grim as interim coach until the end of the season after Erik ten Hag ruled out a return.
Ajax have been through a horror period over the last three years by their previous high standards. This season they have improved in the Dutch league and sit third but are 18 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.
In the Champions League, however, they lost their first five games and in the Dutch Cup last week suffered a record 6-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar.
Cruyff was born in Amsterdam and played for Ajax in his youth before moving to Barcelona with his father in 1988, where he played in their academy before featuring for the first team. Cruyff then played at Manchester United, Celta Vigo, Deportivo Alaves and Espanyol and won nine caps for the Netherlands.
After his playing career, Cruyff became a coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv and of Ecuador, and returned to Barcelona as a technical advisor and sporting director in 2021. His last position was as a technical advisor for Indonesia.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Rabat; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
