Varun Pai
Newcastle United keen on Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag despite Manchester United interest
According to the Daily Mail (h/t The Sun), Manchester United have been joined by Newcastle United in the chase to appoint Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag.
The Toon Army have had a joyous atmosphere around St. James’ Park since the Saudi-backed organization took over the club. Quite possibly the richest club owners in the Premier League, huge changes are expected to take place in the coming weeks.
The first big decision has already been made as they have sacked Steve Bruce and appointed Graeme Jones as interim boss. However, they are not wasting any time in hiring a new manager and have already lined up some names.
While Frank Lampard, Lucien Favre, Roberto Martinez, and Paulo Fonseca have been touted as possible options, Newcastle are weighing up a mega-money move for Erik Ten Hag.
The Dutch boss has been extremely crucial to the success of AFC Ajax over the last four years and also helped them to a Champions League semi-final in 2019. The 51-year-old has garnered such admiration from the Saudi-backed club that they are ready to pay him a salary of £6million after tax, which would be a gross wage bill worth £11million.
This would make him the third-highest paid manager in the league behind Pep Guardiola (£20million) and Jurgen Klopp (£15million). However, this would be a massive blow to Man United. The Red Devils have also named the Ajax boss as a potential candidate to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the Norwegian’s poor performances in recent weeks.
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Ten Hag has the experience of developing youngsters and integrating them into a squad with experienced players–something that will serve the Old Trafford outfit well. In fact, luckily for United, the Dutch boss has ‘reservations’ over leaving his current club for the Geordies.
Regardless, while Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, and Mauricio Pochettino are also being eyed by the Manchester-based club, they would miss out on a real gem if Newcastle do lure the Dutchman to St. James’ Park.
