Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool to battle it out for Ajax Amsterdam honcho Menno Geelen
Speaking to Dutch media outlet De Oranje Zomer (h/t Liverpool Echo), sports marketer Chris Woerts believes that Menno Geelen, the commercial director at Ajax Amsterdam is attracting attention from the likes of Manchester United among others.
The 39-year-old is one of Ajax’s top executives. The likes of United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all keen to hire him and make use of his acumen in attracting business.
Geelen originally joined Ajax as an account manager in 2010, soon becoming head of sponsorship before being promoted to commercial director in 2016. He currently oversees all commercial activity for the Dutch giants.
“Menno is one of the most talented commercial directors in the Netherlands. He is now in demand by Super League clubs, especially the English clubs.”
His talent has been recognised through a number of industry accolades. He won numerous awards including one for most talented sales professional by Leaders in Sport in 2017.
“Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal could be possible. He’s a great talent that is being attracted.”
While Geelen’s current focus remains on Ajax, he is being headhunted by a number of top clubs. Just 39, the Dutchman’s acumen could land him one of the biggest jobs in football. Whether that will be at United remains to be seen.
“He’s only 39, so I don’t know if he wants it now. But it’s a nice reward if he makes the switch to the Premier League.”
Former Manchester United executive Matt Scammell took over as commercial director earlier this year. The Merseysiders have steadily closed the gap on us in recent years both on and off the field. Whether landing Geelan will once again hand us the edge remains to be seen.
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Having signed Scammell, it remains to be seen if Liverpool will be keen to bring in another bigwig behind the scenes. However, money is scarce in the post-covid football world and clubs should do all they can to maximize profits.
Whether we can beat Liverpool and Arsenal to the miraculous Dutchman remains to be seen.
