Ajax land striker Markus Rosenberg on four year deal
06 June: Ajax and Malmö
FF, the current #2 in the Swedish league, have completed
the transfer of striker Markus Rosenberg to the Amsterdam club. The
transfer fee was not revealed as usual, but according
to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet Malmö
will receive some 5.3 million euros for Rosenberg,
who signed a four year deal at the Amsterdam
ArenA on Monday. "Other clubs were also
interested," the player told Ajax.nl, "but this
is a dream coming true."
Markus Rosenberg in his Malmö FF shirt. [Photo: Official Malmö FF website.]
Ajax have been following the Swede
for over a year. Head-coach Ronald Koeman saw the player in
action a few times. After Koeman's departure
Ajax's interest in Rosenberg remained. Coach Danny Blind
attended several Malmö FF matches and gave the
management his approval. Negotiations started in late
May. On Friday 03 June it was reported that Ajax
and Rosenberg had come to an agreemeent on the terms
of the striker's contract, and that the transfer
fee was the only remaining obstacle.
It turned out to be the other way
round: on Sunday 05 June, when Swedish and Dutch news sources
claimed that the transfer had been finalized, Ajax issued a
press statement in which the club announced that the deal
with Malmö FF had indeed been sealed, but that there was
no agreement with the player just yet. The
transfer became official
on Monday. On the same day Rosenberg passed
his medical test in Amsterdam.
Markus Rosenberg (born 27 September 1982) is regarded in
Sweden as a striker that is both physically strong
and high skilled. He is often compared to Zlatan
Ibrahimovic, his predecessor at both Malmö FF and
Ajax, as well as his team-mate in the yellow and blue of
Sweden. Rosenberg is generally seen as less of an
outstanding 'artist', but more of hard worker.
He made his début in Malmö's first
team in 2001.
He had 40 league apperances for Malmö in his first three
seasons, in which he did not manifest himself as much of a
goalscorer: he netted only four times. This changed when his
club loaned him out to Halmstads BK for the
Allsvenskan league of 2004 (the Swedish season runs
from January to December): he finished the season
as Sweden's topscorer: 14 goals in 26 appearances. In early
2005 he returned to Malmö, netting one goal in eight
matches so far this season. He was more productive in the Royal
League, a brand-new 'Champions League-like' competition for top
teams from the Scandinavian nations: eight goals in ten
games. The 22 year-old won three caps for Sweden so far
(one goal).
It is no surprise that Rosenberg asked his friend
Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his advice when he was first
informed about Ajax's interest in his services. "Zlatan
spoke very highly of Ajax," Rosenberg told Ajax.nl. "He told me
that the club is well organized and that the atmopshere within
the club is very positive. Of course, I know Ajax from their
games in the Champions League and I know that Stefan Pettersson
played here for a long time (...) There was pressure at
Malmö, but obviously the pressure will be bigger over
here. I want make it here. Play a lot, win
trophies."
Markus Rosenberg will join his new team-mates for the
first training of the new season, on Monday 04 July at the
Amsterdam ArenA. Ajax are now likely to start their
pre-season campaign with no less than five strikers: Markus
Rosenberg, Ryan Babel, Angelos Charisteas, Yannis Anastasiou
(whom Danny Blind wants to offer a contract renewal, which - by
the way - has not happened yet) and young
Edgar Manucharyan. The latter can also be used as a winger.
(MP)
Sources: Ajax.nl, VI.nl
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