One of the key men behind the scenes at Dutch giants Ajax is being linked with a number of Europe's top clubs, with Liverpool among them.
Reports in the Netherlands suggest that 39-year-old Menno Geelen, commercial director at Ajax, is being courted by a number of clubs keen to mine his talent and flair in bringing business into football clubs.
At Ajax, Geelen has risen through the ranks after joining the Amsterdam club as an account manager in 2010, soon becoming head of sponsorship before being promoted to commercial director in 2016, his remit being to oversee all commercial activity for the Dutch club.
His talent has been recognised through industry accolades, picking up numerous awards including one for most talented sales professional by Leaders in Sport in 2017.
Ajax's more recent success in the Champions League, where they were beaten at the semi-final stage in cruel fashion by Tottenham Hotspur in 2019, have allowed them the ability to leverage those on-field triumphs as well as bring in far more in terms of broadcasting rights related to their run in the competition.
But even before that Champions League run the commercial department was a success story.
"We don’t have extra sponsors when we win, but we don’t lose sponsors when we lose," Geelen, who works closely with Ajax chief executive and former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar at the club, told Sport Business in early 2020, before the impact of the pandemic.
"Of course it helps to play in the Champions League, which helps to sell tickets and hospitality packages, but it hopefully doesn’t influence too much on partnerships.
"Even when we have a bad season, and we have had a few, we still see a growth in partnership income, because we try and make our offering about more than just sport. Our strategy is focused on sustainable partnerships, which is why we have long-term partnerships with our five or six main, important partners. We look for partners who are in line with our ‘for the future’ thinking, who align with our sustainable approach, including sustainable growth.
"So we are forced to think creatively, but also offensively. Otherwise we are not going to reach the European top. We have to focus on what we can do, and create new domains and new revenue streams.
"If you’re getting €100m in TV money, maybe you don’t really care if your main sponsor is paying €4m instead of €5m. But for us, the reason we can live is because of sponsors. We are probably the only club in the world who makes more from just our main sponsor than we get from TV: €8m from our TV deal, €9m from our main sponsor (Ziggo)."
And with the pandemic having forced clubs to look at different ways of how to see revenue growth in what is likely to be a changing football landscape financially, Geelen's approach has seen him linked with approaches from a number of top clubs.
"Menno is one of the most talented commercial directors in the Netherlands ," sports marketer Chris Woerts told Dutch media outlet De Oranje Zomer.
"He is now in demand by Super League clubs, especially the English clubs.
"Also because he is a good connector. He has done a lot commercially but also provides a platform for the fans. That is now recognised in England.
"(Marc) Overmars and Van der Sar are often mentioned, but a number of headhunters have approached him.
"Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal could be possible. He’s a great talent that is being attracted.
"He did not want to say anything about it and says he is concentrating on Ajax. But headhunters are now looking to see if he wants to make a switch.
"He’s only 39, so I don’t know if he wants it now. But it’s a nice reward if he makes the switch to the Premier League."
Commercially, Liverpool have excelled in recent years.
Even taking into account the drastic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on club finances, the dials for commercial activity have been pointing in the right direction, the club raising commercial revenues by £29m to £217m for 2020, thanks to a number of new deals and the extension of existing partnerships, aided by the club's 2019 Champions League success.
Matt Scammell joined the club as commercial director in August 2020 having spent nine years at Manchester United in a similar role, and Scammell's brief is to continue to see those revenue streams grow, with the 2021 accounts to show a number of new deals that have risen, such as the first impact of the Nike kit deal, the AXA Training Centre sponsorship and the £2m per year rise from the shirt sleeve sponsor with Expedia, the previous deal having been worth £8m per year through Western Union. Negotiations for the Expedia deal were led by Scammell.
