Dutch Giants Ajax Name Oscar Garcia As New Head Coach, John Grim Returns To Academy

Last Updated:March 09, 2026, 08:43 IST

Garcia, who moves up from coaching Ajax's youth team, has also managed Brighton and has won league titles with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and RB Salzburg in Austria.

Dutch giants Ajax appointed Oscar Garcia as their new coach on Sunday, as Fred Grim returned to his previous position in the club’s academy. Grim had been promoted to the first team following John Heitinga’s dismissal in November, after just six months in the role.

“Fred and I discussed what would be best for the club, and we agreed that a change was necessary," said Ajax’s technical director Jordi Cruyff, who was appointed to his role in January.

Garcia, who moves up from coaching Ajax’s youth team, is a former manager of Brighton in England and has won league titles with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and RB Salzburg in Austria.

“Oscar will oversee the rest of the season. The coming months are crucial for the club," added Cruyff.

The 36-time Dutch champions have been in turmoil for years, last winning the league in 2022. They are currently fifth in the table, five points behind second-placed Feyenoord, who occupy the last direct qualification spot for the Champions League league phase.

The Amsterdam-based club is still recovering from an extraordinary end to last season, when they squandered the title from a seemingly unassailable position. With only five matches to play, Ajax were nine points clear and appeared to be cruising to the championship. However, they managed to hand the title to PSV Eindhoven, losing twice and drawing twice.

The season before, Ajax, the four-time European champions, had experienced their worst-ever start to a campaign, at one point being at the bottom of the Eredivisie table.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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