It has been a hectic season in Amsterdam for Ajax. After starting the season with John Heitinga as head coach for the second time in his career, the side are now onto their third head coach. Taking over from Fred Grim is Oscar Garcia, formerly of Brighton and Watford. Garcia had been in charge of the Ajax second team in the Dutch second tier but has now been promoted to head coach, with Fred Grim returning to his role with the academy.
It is quite a turnaround for Garcia, who would not have seen the chance to manage such a prestigious European club coming a few years ago. Garcia began his career as a head coach in Israel before spending some time in England with Brighton. He was briefly in charge of Watford before having to leave due to illness. He then spent time in Austria.
After managing in France, Greece and Spain he moved to Belgium in 2023. Here, Garcia was in charge of OH Leuven, a time in which his side avoided relegation but did not impress much. Garcia was sacked by OH Leuven in 2024, with Chivas in Mexico hiring Garcia the next month. Garcia only managed Chivas for a few months before leaving in March 2025. After some time out, Ajax got in touch and brought Garcia in to manage Jong Ajax in February. He is now set to oversee Ajaxโs push for a top two finish.
Ajax have only won one of their previous five games, with three of these being draws and one a defeat, their most recent match, away to FC Groningen.
GBeNeFNย |ย Ben Jackson
