Clubs agree fee: Olaf Lindenbergh is an Ajacied... again
09 June: Ajax
have presented midfielder Olaf Lindenbergh as
their second major purchase for the 2005-2006 season today. The
31 year-old defensive midfielder is a product of the Ajax youth
system and played for the Amsterdammers' second team, but never
made it to Ajax-1. He returns to his old club after a terrific
season with Co Adriaanse's AZ. The midfielder penned a three
season deal at the Amsterdam ArenA.
Lindenbergh was one of Co
Adriaanse's key players at AZ, the Alkmaar
side that finished 3rd in the Eredivisie and was
seconds away from the UEFA Cup final this season.
Lindenbergh's reward for a splendid season was an
invitation from Holland boss Marco van Basten (he did not make
his début just yet) and flattering interest from Ajax.
Lindenbergh was keen on a return to the club that developed him
as a player and agreed on the terms of his contract in no
time.
However, talks between Ajax and
AZ took longer than expected. Ajax submitted their final
bid yesterday and told AZ that the deal would be if off if
they did not accept. The 'deadline' apparently had the desired
effect: 24 hours later Lindenbergh found himself at the
Amsterdam ArenA, signing a contract until the summer of
2008. The transfer fee to be paid by Ajax remained undisclosed
as usual, but according to Dutch regional newspaper
Noord-Hollands Dagblad Ajax will pay AZ approximately
2 million euros for Lindenbergh.
Olaf Lindenbergh (born
Purmerend, 06 February 1974) started playing football as a
young boy at amateur club ZOB. He was scouted by Ajax at a
young age, spent six years in Ajax youth teams of all age
categories and played for Ajax-2 (now called Young Ajax) for
three seasons. Due to stiff competition from midfielders such
as Clarence Seedorf, Edgar Davids, Ronald de Boer and John van
den Brom, however, Lindenbergh had to make his first
team début elsewhere. He moved to De Graafschap in
the summer of 1994 and won the First Division championship
with them in his first year. Lindenbergh played for De
Graafschap for six seasons, the latter five in the Eredivisie.
In total he had 159 Eredivisie matches for the Doetinchem club
(6 goals).
Lindenbergh moved to AZ in the
summer of 1999. His spell in Alkmaar would also last six
seasons. He had 135 games league appearances for AZ and
scored 6 goals, of which 5 in the spectacularly succesful
2004-2005 season.
Olaf Lindenbergh seems
exactly the player that Ajax boss Danny Blind was looking for:
Lindenberg is not only Dutch, he also has experience and
defensive qualities to add to the young and offensive Ajax
midfield. Blind: "I am glad we've been able to sign him after
all. He is experienced and pretty all-round. He can play as a
left midfielder, a defensive midfielder or a central defender,
depending on how we want to play."
The 31 year-old may be regarded
as a type of player that at Ajax has become known as the
'Galásek-type'. The Czech veteran was injury-prone
this season and is linked with Portugese giants Benfica, the
new club of former Ajax coach Ronald Koeman.
(MP)
Source: Ajax.nl, VI.nl, Het
Parool
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