Erik ten Hag, who was also considered as a replacement for Francesco Farioli at Ajax last summer, held multiple discussions with the Amsterdam club following John Heitinga being dismissed last Thursday.

However, according to the Dutch newspaperAlgemeen Dagblad, Ten Hag declined the offer, as he does not foresee enough short-term success given the current uncertainties surrounding many positions at Ajax.

Following Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ajax is the second club Ten Hag has turned down since his dismissal at Bayer Leverkusen, where his tenure ended prematurely after only four matches.

Alongside Heitinga, technical director Alex Kroes announced he would make his role available. The executive, who held several talks with Ten Hag this year, accepted responsibility for the recent turmoil and unsatisfactory results.

The 54-year-old Dutchman previously served at Ajax from 2018 to 2022, during which time the club won three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups, and reached the semi-finals of the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League.

Marc Overmars also declines return

In addition to Ten Hag, former Director of Football Marc Overmars has also refused to come back to Ajax as their technical director.

Overmars worked at the Amsterdam club between 2012 and 2022 before being dismissed following multiple internal complaints about inappropriate behaviour. According to the female Ajax employees involved, Overmars sent unsolicited explicit and nude images.

"I have a fondness for Ajax and Amsterdam, but for me, that chapter is closed," Overmars, who is currently the technical director at Royal Antwerp, told De Telegraaf.

"That’s because I truly enjoy my job at Antwerp, and I still have a year and a half remaining on my contract there. I want to honor that commitment. Our goal was to stabilize the club financially. The stadium is complete, and now we need to rebuild the squad."

Overmars disclosed that he has been approached multiple times for the Ajax position.

"That has already occurred once, and now it’s happening again, involving several individuals. Who? Well, they are people in key roles, but I won’t name them, as it would just turn into internal politics again. For me, it’s finished."