Jordi Cruyff celebrates the best summer moment with Julian Brandt's Ajax coup

Jordi Cruyff explained that the free transfer of the 30‑year‑old Julian Brandt to Ajax was the best moment of the summer, because the Dutch record champion could finally announce the free‑fee coup with the former BVB star.

The Surprising Transfer

At the members' meeting on Monday, Cruyff confirmed that nothing had been leaked beforehand and that Brandt had kept the moment to himself.

He recalled that he had already emphasized in a Ziggo Sport broadcast that nobody knew about Brandt's move and that people would be surprised if the news came out suddenly.

A few days later he explained that people at dinner suddenly learned that Brandt was joining Ajax, and wondered how that could be possible.

Brandt's Start and Public Reactions

Cruyff also mentioned the move of Marc‑Andre ter Stegen from FC Barcelona to Ajax, who arrived on loan in the summer to position himself for the German national team under Jürgen Klopp.

Klopp had already appointed ter Stegen as the number one for Euro 2028, and Cruyff praised his drive to play for Ajax.

Together with Brandt he emphasized that both transfers were great.

In the summer Brandt had previously been the focus of attractive offers, but in March it became clear that he would not receive a new contract at Dortmund.

He was linked with a move to Atletico Madrid as a successor to Antoine Griezmann as well as with a Premier League option, before he finally chose Ajax.

Ajax secure German keeper Ter Stegen on loan until 2027

In so far 17 competitive matches Brandt has scored eight goals and provided two assists.

Rafael van der Vaart, who previously voiced critical remarks about Brandt, fell silent after the good performances and enjoyed the game.

Van der Vaart had called Brandt a “fair‑weather footballer” after his arrival and emphasized that he should be glad to wear the Ajax jersey.

In October, after a convincing first third of the season, van der Vaart changed his mind and called Brandt the best player at Ajax.

Brandt responded calmly to the praise and said in the podcast “Playmaker” that he was hearing the sentence for the first time.

He explained that criticism was routine for him, as he had often been confronted with it at BVB and opinions on his performance were divided.

Van der Vaart later noted that he himself was often confronted when Brandt made statements, and asked for quiet.

At the end of October Brandt was injured in the 1‑0 win over AZ Alkmaar, when he was substituted in the 38th minute with a pained, twisted face.

Although his expression initially suggested a more serious injury, Cruyff confirmed that it was nothing serious.

Nevertheless Brandt missed the last two competitive matches of Ajax before the international break.