Van der Gijp questions Ajax’s Marcos Leonardo deal after difficult start
The former forward has criticised Ajax’s decision to spend close to €20 million on the Brazilian striker, who has yet to impress across his first four competitive appearances.
René van der Gijp has questioned Ajax’s recruitment of Marcos Leonardo after the Brazilian striker’s underwhelming opening matches in Amsterdam. According to FCUpdate, the summer signing cost close to €20 million but has struggled to justify that fee during his early appearances.
Leonardo has played four competitive games for Ajax so far. FCUpdate reports that he has missed several chances and has not otherwise managed to distinguish himself. Speaking on the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast, Van der Gijp wondered whether an Ajax scout had watched the forward in person before the club completed the deal.
Van der Gijp acknowledged that recruiting a Brazilian player for Dutch football can be difficult, with Ajax potentially having to consider targets whose suitability cannot be guaranteed. However, he argued that the scale of the investment made the gamble particularly striking. “But €20 million... that is a lot of money,” he said, as quoted by FCUpdate.
Agent Rob Jansen was similarly unconvinced and described the move as highly unusual. He suggested either the judgment behind the deal was flawed or Jordi Cruijff had identified qualities that were not yet apparent to outside observers. The criticism comes while Leonardo remains at the very beginning of his Ajax career, with only four official matches played since his arrival.
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