Dutch giants Ajax continued to defy the odds as they secured a 1-0 away win at Tottenham on Tuesday night in their Champions League semi-final first-leg.
Despite having the third youngest side in the competition, Erik ten Hag’s team have been a revelation this season in the Champions League, knocking out the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the competitions final-four.
Unsurprisingly, the phenomenal performances of their young stars has brought a large amount of speculation, with many of the stand out performers being linked with moves away from the Amsterdam club.
Indeed their midfield maestro Frenkie de Jong - who was a reported target of Manchester City - is already due to join Barcelona in the summer for a hefty £75m, with formidable centre-back Matthijs de Ligt expected to follow him out of the exit door this summer.
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As Europe’s top clubs look set to battle it out in the coming months to secure the signatures of many of the continents up and coming stars, City have the luxury of being able to be a lot more selective in their pursuits.
Pep Guardiola’s current crop of stars have delivered a remarkable campaign for City that could see them land the domestic treble.
Across the starting 11, there is little Guardiola can amend or change in the summer to improve his already impressive side. They can boast arguably having the best keeper and one of the best defences in the league. Their midfield remains robust and domineering, and their attack ranks amongst the best across Europe.
As a result, there is little expectation of mass arrivals this summer, yet Guardiola and the recruitment team still may have a difficult task ahead.
Midfield general Fernandinho turns 34 this week and City remain on the lookout for a successor for the Brazilian. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan’s contract is due to expire in 2020 and the former-Dortmund player seems reluctant to commit his future to the club.
A potential departure of Gundogan along with the ageing legs of Fernandinho could leave the Blues thin on the ground for the new campaign.
As a result, City could make a move for Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.
Van de Beek scored the game's only goal on Tuesday night to add to his strike against Juventus last month. He is a product of Ajax’s youth academy and fits perfectly into their sharp short passing style - much like City’s.
An appealing aspect of the Dutchman is his ability to play both in the No.6 and No.8 roles for his club. His fluidity across the pitch means he is capable in all areas and is a handful for the opposition to track.
If he comes deep, he is apt at playing line-breaking forward passes for Ajax forwards to sprint onto. This was illustrated in the below sequence taken from Ajax’s victory against Excelsior.
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As Van de Beek picks up possession, he drives forward and plays a brilliant through ball for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The weight of the ball is perfect meaning Huntelaar simply needs to provide a dinked finish to give his side the lead.
Further up the pitch, Van de Beek almost works as an advanced playmaker for his side. Like many of City's key attackers, he is fantastic at finding areas in the half-spaces in which to operate and pull the strings.
In the below sequence taken from Ajax’s win over Vitesse, Van de Deek takes up a good position in the half-space near the edge of the 18-yard-box.
As the ball is cut back to the Dutchman, he places a superb smart pass in to the attacker that catches the defence off guard and allows Ajax to look to get a shot on goal.
These actions all contribute to some impressive numbers for the 21-year-old so far this campaign. He has scored or assisted 21 goals for his side across the league and Champions League and he has averaged a decent 0.23 key passes and 0.48 through passes per 90 minutes this season too.
Not just menacing in attack for his side, he is also a proficient anchor in the middle and great reader of the game from the No.6 position. He averages a decent four interceptions per 90 minutes when playing in a CDM role which is not too dissimilar to Fernandinho’s average of 4.87.
Overall, it’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of admiration for this Ajax side. Whilst each player in the team has contributed to their remarkable run in this season's Champions League, a select few have displayed the aptitude to illustrate they are ready to make the step up to one of Europe’s super clubs - such as Manchester City.
Van de Beek has certainly proven himself as one of those players. With City’s midfield landscape expected to change in the next 12 months, the 21-year-old could prove a very wise investment.
