Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is a notoriously difficult man to negotiate with, as Manchester United have learned numerous times through the years.
“That whole experience was more painful than my hip replacement,” Ferguson wrote in his book, via the Evening Standard, in reference to the move to sign Dimitar Berbatov in 2008.
All these years on, clubs are still finding this out, with Ajax among the latest. Back in January, Ajax tried to sign Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham.
Ajax offered £15 million for Bergwijn in January, the Evening Standard reported. Despite the winger starting only four Premier League games this season, Tottenham rejected the bid and demanded a higher fee.
The window concluded with Ajax and Tottenham unable to agree a fee, and Bergwijn remaining on Tottenham’s bench.
Failed deal ‘could influence Ten Hag’
Dutch journalist Henk Spaan has told Het Parool that Ajax’s failure to land Bergwijn could have an influential bearing on Erik ten Hag’s future, amid continued links to taking the Manchester United job, with The Mail reporting he underwent an interview last week.
Spaan said: “The fact that Ajax was unable or unwilling to bring him in will not encourage Ten Hag to stay.
“It is not very unlikely that Ajax would have beaten Benfica with Bergwijn. He [would] have already earned back half of his transfer amount.
“Was it Overmars who gave up the fight with his finance director, or was it Susan Lenderink herself who stopped negotiations with Tottenham? That it was a mistake, that’s for sure.”
Ajax were knocked out of the Champions League last month at the hands of Benfica, defeated 3-2 on aggregate.
Bergwijn scored two goals in the Netherlands 4-2 win over Denmark at the weekend, boosting his reputation in his homeland despite his lack of sage at Tottenham under Antonio Conte.
His performance is likely to weigh on Ten Hag’s mind, and there are two trophies still to play for with very fine margins.
Ajax have a two point lead over PSV in the Eredivisie, and face the same opponents in the KNVB Cup final next month.
Behind the scenes Ajax lost Marc Overmars earlier this year, and the change of personnel could make this a pivotal time to try and move on.
But if there is one lesson Ten Hag would be wise to learn, it is ‘don’t put all your hopes into a deal which involves negotiating with Daniel Levy’.
This could be especially useful amid reports from The Athletic this week which claims United are keen to pursue Spurs striker Harry Kane, regardless of who is manager.
- Erik Ten Hag’s managerial record and style of play
- Erik Ten Hag’s five most expensive transfers
- Ajax’s last five managers before Ten Hag and where they are now
- Five Ajax players Ten Hag could sign for Manchester United
- Ten Hag’s comments when Van de Beek left Ajax for Old Trafford
- Six key issues for Manchester United’s next boss
- The three biggest wins of Ten Hag’s managerial career
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