"I Want To Be Part Of That..." Kasper Dolberg Explains Decision To Stay At Ajax
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It was a very busy summer transfer window for Ajax, both in terms of incomings and outgoings.
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One player who was linked with a move away from the club was Kasper Dolberg, but the Danish forward ended up staying. Lille and FC Midtjylland were both reportedly interested in Dolberg, but neither move materialised for a variety of reasons.
Dolberg returned to Ajax last summer on a transfer from Belgian side Anderlecht. While he was brilliant during his first spell with Ajax from 2016 to 2019, Dolberg struggled for form last season, only scoring five goals in 30 appearances.
While Dolberg has to take some responsibility for this himself, Ajax were also a very unstable club last season. Ajax had three different managers, and such instability made it difficult for players to find consistency.
Questions about Dolberg's future were raised after Ajax made two new signings in the striker position during the summer. Ajax signed Marcos Leonardo on a permanent transfer from Al Hilal and Tolu Arokodare on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Dolberg explains why he decided to stay at AjaxDespite his struggles last season and the signings of Leonardo and Tolu, Dolberg decided to stay at Ajax in the summer. In an interview with Voetbal International, Dolberg explained his reasoning for staying in Amsterdam.
"Of course, I did have doubts about what the best decision for me was," Dolberg explained.
"Naturally, two clear reinforcements were brought in for the striker position. I did speak to a number of clubs, but ultimately, it never came very close.
"I have decided to stay, and for a reason: I think I can play an important role here. I think we have a strong team, and I think we can win everything. So I want to be part of that."
Dolberg's resilience is paying offDolberg was poor last season, and even his performances in UEFA Conference League qualifying at the start of the season were not convincing. However, he now looks like a striker starting to find form.
He scored against Fortuna Sittard. He was then rewarded with a spot in Michel Sanchez's starting line-up against Willem II, where he scored a goal and assisted two.
In both games, Michel opted to use Dolberg instead of Leonardo.
Tolu will likely start the majority of games for Ajax in the striker position if he keeps up his current form. The Nigerian striker had a difficult time in England at Wolverhampton Wanderers, but has hit the ground running at Ajax with five goals in his first eight games in all competitions.
Dolberg offers Michel something very different, though. Tolu is tall, dominant in duels, and his hold-up play is excellent. Dolberg, however, is great at roaming between the lines and linking the play. He can pull defenders out of position to create space for other players.
The variety in profiles is very beneficial for Michel as it allows him to be more flexible from a tactical point of view. It remains to be seen whether Leonardo will find his best form, but Dolberg just has to focus on maintaining his current form. If he does that, he will almost certainly play a lot of minutes this season.