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According to recent reports, Ajax are looking to appoint Arsenal assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg as their new head coach, after sacking Maurice Steijn on Monday.

The Dutch giants currently sit second from bottom and in the relegation zone in the Eredivisie so far this season, having only won one game in the first seven. The side from Amsterdam have been on an awful run of form so there’s no surprise they’re looking for a new manager this early on in the season.

Ajax had initially set their sights on Erik ten Hag’s assistant manager, Mitchell van der Gaag, but he has no intention of leaving Manchester United. After missing out on him, it appears Albert Stuivenberg is their new number one target.

According to Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, Ajax believe Mikel Arteta’s No. 2 can implement an attacking style of play and revive the club’s fortunes, with Ajax a whopping 22 points off of league leaders PSV.

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Albert Stuivenberg has spent time at Manchester United and the Wales national team as assistant manager, as well as taking charge of Belgian side Genk for a year.

In 2019, the 53-year-old moved to Arsenal to become assistant to the newly appointed Mikel Arteta and has remained by his side ever since.

It’s currently unclear whether Stuivenberg would be interested in a return to management or even if Arsenal would let him speak to Ajax considering how important he is to Mikel Arteta’s coaching staff.

Arsenal have a great chance of winning their first league title in over 20 years this season and it can be certain that Arteta will not want to lose a key member of his coaching staff in the middle of the season.