Second major transfer in 3 days: V/d Meyde joins Internazionale
10 July: Only two days after the departure of captain
Cristian Chivu to AS Roma, another Ajacied has joined an
Italian Serie A giant in a major transfer: right winger Andy
van der Meyde will join Internazionale for the next few years.
As usual Ajax did not reveal the transfer fee, but Dutch and
Italian media were unanimous: Inter paid 8.6 million euros for
the 23 year-old Ajacied.
Van der Meyde was linked with the Nerazzurri
('black and blue') from Milan several times throughout the
2002-2003 season. However, a departure seemed to have become
unlikely in the past ten days, as Inter contract two new
players (Chievo Verona's Luciano and AJ Auxerre's Fadiga) and
Ajax's general director Arie van Eijden reacted highly annoyed
to Inter's announcement that talks between the clubs were
scheduled on Wednesday, in the Amsterdam ArenA. "I told them my
agenda is full and that they will have to put a proper offer on
paper, for starters. Otherwise I don't have time for them",
said Van Eijden.
On Thursday, however, an agreement was reached quickly and
peacefully, although Ajax will wait for an Inter 'bank
guarantee' before the deal is official. Van der Meyde flew to
Milan on Thursday to work out the details of his contract with
Inter's president, Massimo Moratti.
Ajax head coach Ronald Koeman saw two of his players leave
in three days time, but did not seem too worried: "When clubs
from this category knock on our door and the player himself has
the ambition to play for that club, there is not much Ajax can
do about it. But we expect to become stronger with the players
we will purchase."
Koeman's latter remark implies that Ajax has already
targeted one or more players to replace Van der Meyde. Several
football news sources linked Nigerian winger Uche, now playing
for Wisla Krakow in Poland, with the Amsterdam club. These
rumors are as yet unconfirmed.
Van der Meyde, meanwhile, praised Ronald Koeman just before
leaving the ArenA parking deck: "I am grateful to him for many
things. He made me a better player. With him as a coach I
became the footballer I wanted to be."
Andy van der Meyde, of 30 September 1979, was born in Arnhem
and played for Vitesse youth teams for a while, but was scouted
by Ajax at a young age and can be regarded as a product of the
Ajax youth system. He made his Ajax-1 début at age 18 in
the Eredivisie home game against FC Twente on 12 November
1997.
He did not immediately make his 'big break'. In the
remainder of the 1997-1998 season and the 1998-1999 season he
had only five Ajax-1 appearanced in total. In order to develop
and to get more Eredivisie experience he was loaned out to FC
Twente in 1999-2000. Much to Ajax's satisfaction he played 32
games in Enschede, scoring two goals. Enough reason for new
Ajax coach Co Adriaanse to add him to the Ajax-1 squad
again.
Van der Meyde has been an Ajax-1 regular since, although he
failed to make a real impact in the 2000-2001 season. His last
two seasons at Ajax were by far his best. He scored 11 out of
his total of 19 Eredivisie goals in his last season in
Amsterdam, in which he drew the world's attention by scoring a
tremendous goal in the Champions League away game at AS Roma,
only 35 seconds into the game. He played 122 official games for
Ajax in total, including 91 Eredivisie games.
After having played 25 games for Dutch youth teams and
Holland U-21 (five goals), Oranje boss Dick Advocaat
gave Van der Meyde his first shot on 19 May of 2002 in
a friendly fixture between The
Netherlands and the United States. Van der Meyde graced his
Holland début with a goal and played three more
internationals for Holland since.
The forward leaves Ajax with mixed feelings. "Ajax will
always be my club", he said in an interview with Ajax.nl. "This
is a strange feeling. In a way I feel it's a shame that I'm
leaving. But on the ohter hand: if you get a chance like this
one, you have to take it (...) I have no idea what will happen
to me over there. I know one thing for sure though: I will miss
the lads in the dressing-room over here. I will particularly
remember the warmth within the club." (MP)
Sources: Ajax.nl, VI.nl
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