Ajax secures deal for trainer Maurice Steijn; PSV signs Peter Bosz

Maurice Steijn will be leaving as the trainer at Sparta Rotterdam, and will continue his career as the new manager for the Ajax men’s football team. Steijn was given permission from his club to terminate his ongoing contract, said Sparta Technical Director Gerard Nijkamp. PSV Eindhoven, which finished second in the Eredivisie, has also signed a multi-year deal for new trainer Peter Bosz.

Earlier on Monday, sources said that Ajax expected to complete the deal to bring in Steijn as the new manager within the next few days. The two sides were said to have a verbal agreement in place, and Ajax, which finished third in the Eredivisie last season, had made contact with Sparta, where the trainer was under contract for another year.

"Maurice let us know in a conversation this morning that he wants to go to Ajax. There were certain conditions in his contract and Ajax met them. We are very sorry that Maurice is leaving, but if we as Sparta can deliver a trainer to Ajax, then that makes us proud as Spartans," Nijkamp said.

Ajax will have to pay a lump sum for the 49-year-old from The Hague. The two clubs were expected to reach an agreement on that detail soon. In addition to communicating with Sparta Rotterdam, Ajax has also contacted Almere City and ADO Den Haag. Those two teams represent Steijn’s prospective assistants, Hedwiges Maduro and Saïd Bakkati, sources said.

Steijn does not quite fit the profile that Sven Mislintat outlined two weeks ago. The new Ajax football affairs director said he believes that John Heitinga, the recent interim coach, was still too lightweight for the position of manager. He said that he was looking for someone who will allow his teams to play dominant football. Experience at the top is not a requirement. "Jurgen Klopp didn't have that when we gave him a chance at Borussia Dortmund," he said. "He had trained Mainz in the 2. Bundesliga," referring to Germany’s second division.

Kjetil Knutsen seemed to be Ajax's top candidate for a long time. The Norwegian coach lets FK Bodø/Glimt play spectacular football, but he was ultimately unavailable. Subsequently, Steijn enthusiastically came into the picture at Ajax. The former ADO and NAC Breda football player was successful as a coach at VVV-Venlo, a team he managed to get promoted to the Eredivisie.

He saved Sparta from relegation last year after his appointment, and finished sixth last season with the Rotterdam club. His teams were not always offensive powerhouses, but Steijn did not have a selection with which the manager could always play dominantly at either of the clubs. He was less successful as a trainer at ADO Den Haag, NAC Breda and Al-Wahda FC in the UAE Pro League.

After VVV-Venlo and Sparta, Steijn will now have to make Ajax successful again. In Amsterdam, they are hoping for a scenario like with trainer Erik ten Hag. With limited experience after adventures with Go Ahead Eagles, the Bayern Munich second team and FC Utrecht, he managed to help Ajax get to the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Steijn will likely get an assistant with a history at Ajax. The former footballer, Hedwiges Maduro, has been in the picture for some time at Ajax, his first professional club. He won a promotion to the Eredivisie on Sunday as the assistant coach at Almere City. Bakkati, Steijn’s prospective second assistant, worked last season with head coach Dick Advocaat at ADO Den Haag.

PSV confirms Bosz's appointment as trainer until mid-2026

PSV has appointed 59-year-old Peter Bosz as its manager. The deal keeps Bosz in Eindhoven until mid-2026. Rob Maas will be Bosz's assistant and Terry Peters will come along as a performance coach. "He was the dream candidate," said PSV Technical Director Earnest Stewart.

The trainer said that he was charmed by the confidence that PSV had in him. "From the first moment I got a warm feeling," said Bosz. "Both PSV and I are hungry to perform. Two trophies were won last season, but our goal is to become national champions. That's what we're going for."

Bosz has been without a club since October when he was fired from Olympique Lyon. The former player for Vitesse, RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord was previously a coach at Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Vitesse. He will succeed Ruud van Nistelrooij in Eindhoven. The former striker left shortly before the last league match of the season.

Stewart said he was pleased that he was able to quickly find a successor for Van Nistelrooij. "We had ended up in a situation that we did not want to be in. Then you have to try to immediately switch to next season. It was quite easy how we wanted to continue with PSV. We wanted to fill this position quickly."

General Manager Marcel Brands and Stewart still see the winner's mentality in Bosz that he also had as a player. "At the time he was very sour after a defeat. He still has that drive to win. With Peter, we want to further develop the way of playing to achieve our goals," said Stewart. "He has shown it in the past at big clubs and is known for a certain way of playing that is very offensive and attractive and is based on having fun and, above all, winning. We want to become champions."

PSV will present their new manager at the first training session on July 3. The rest of the staff will also be announced at a later date.

By finishing second in the Eredivisie, PSV will start their European football campaign in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Those matches will be played on August 8, 9 and 15. On August 4, PSV will play in the match for the Johan Cruijff Shield against national champions Feyenoord.