Chapter 85 – Pieces in motion
Amsterdam – Ajax Training Complex, De Toekomst
The walls of the conference room were lined with club legends—photographs of Cruyff mid-pirouette, Van Basten’s volley frozen in time, Bergkamp gliding past defenders as if the ball were magnetized to his feet. But today, the focus wasn’t the past.
It was the future.
Martin Jol stood at the head of the long oak table, his broad frame casting a shadow over the match report spread before him. The Dutchman had only recently taken over as Ajax’s head coach, his gravelly voice still fresh in the ears of the assembled staff. Though preseason was weeks away, the air in the room crackled with urgency. His index finger tapped twice against the table, a sharp *tap-tap* cutting through the low murmur of conversation.
"Alright," Jol said, his voice carrying the weight of a man used to command. "Let’s talk about the Brazilian kid."
A younger analyst, his fingers dancing across the keyboard of an open laptop, adjusted his glasses before speaking. The glow of the screen reflected in his eyes as he pulled up a series of heat maps and touch statistics.
"We’ve been tracking him since March," the analyst began, "but after the Paulista final, his name exploded across every major scouting network in Europe. Two goals and an assist in the second half alone—all three decisive in the match." He clicked a key, and a highlight reel played on the screen behind Jol: a wiry, dark-haired teenager weaving through defenders before curling a shot into the top corner. The room fell silent for a beat.
Jol exhaled through his nose, his gaze fixed on the footage. "He’s raw," he admitted, rubbing his chin. "But there’s fire in him. And composure. Not many seventeen-year-olds can do that in a final."
An assistant coach, a former Ajax midfielder with thinning blond hair, leaned forward. "He’s versatile. Left wing is his natural side, but he cuts inside like a modern inside forward. The way he reads space—it’s instinctive." He gestured toward the screen. "We can polish him here. Develop him properly. He fits Ajax DNA."
Another analyst, a woman with a no-nonsense ponytail and a tablet in hand, chimed in. "No professional contract in Brazil. His youth deal expired, and Palmeiras hasn’t secured a new one. He’s free this summer. We’d only owe development compensation—very affordable."
Jol’s eyebrow arched. "What’s the competition?"