Al Jazira appoint coach Marcel Keizer as replacement for fellow Dutchman Henk ten Cate

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  • Marcel Keizer (r) at Al Jazira (Twitter/@AlJazira_uae).

    Former Ajax head coach Marcel Keizer was confirmed on Saturday at Al Jazira on a two-year deal as the successor to fellow Dutchman Henk ten Cate.

    Keizer had been out of work since he was dismissed by the Amsterdam giants last December once they were eliminated at the round-of-16 stage of the KNVB Cup by troubled FC Twente.

    The 49-year-old was promoted internally after strong work at Jong Ajax the previous June to replace Borussia Dortmund-bound Peter Bosz. His short reign also included failures in the Champions League and Europa League play-offs to deny the club European football for the first time in 25 years.

    Another steep task awaits Keizer as he now replaces the revered Ten Cate – also a former Ajax boss. The retired 63-year-old earned legendary status at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium thanks to winning the 2015/16 President’s Cup and 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League, plus pushing Real Madrid all the way on home soil during the 2017 Club World Cup’s semi-finals.

    Keizer will be expected to oversee an overhaul of the squad whose limp title defence ended with a seventh-placed top-flight finish, amid significant off-field issues.

    Brazilian forward Romarinho is the only member of the four-player foreign quartet expected to be retained. Influential Morocco centre midfielder Mbark Boussoufa has already departed, while the futures of Oman internationals Mohammed Al Musalami and Harib Al Saadi remain in doubt.

    The loss of emerging UAE forward Ahmed Al Attas, 22, on a free transfer to Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club should be imminently announced. A career-best tally of six goals in 15 AGL appearances was recorded by him during 2017/18.

    Keizer made four Eredivisie appearances as a midfielder at Ajax from 1987-99. He then played out his career at SC Cambuur, De Graafschap and FC Emmen before retiring in 2002.

    Stints in charge of lower-league outfits Argon and VVSB followed from 2007-2012. After that he had spells at FC Emmen and Cambuur, with whom he was relegated from the 2015/16 Eredivisie, while his time with Jong Ajax culminated in a second-placed finish in 2016/17’s Eerste Divisie.

    His subsequent move up to the Ajax first team was troubled from the off, even though he was dismissed with his charges sitting second in the Eredivisie – five points off eventual champions PSV Eindhoven.

    General manager Edwin van der Sar was scathing in his assessment.

    He said: “We had a horrible summer and poor start to the season. The elimination from European competition was the lowest point.”

    Kaizer will begin his new role on July 1. Pre-season will likely be undertaken, once again, in his native Netherlands.

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