Ajax to hire coach Maurice Steijn from Sparta Rotterdam to replace John Heitinga

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Ajax says it is hiring “overperformer” Maurice Steijn as its new coach to replace John Heitinga, whose contract was not extended after the Amsterdam club finished a disappointing third in the Dutch Eredivisie. The Amsterdam club said Tuesday that 49-year-old Steijn will sign a three-year deal to join from Sparta Rotterdam. Steijn led Sparta to sixth place in the Eredivisie this season after rescuing it from relegation trouble a season earlier. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. Ajax Director of Football Sven Mislintat says Steijn “has shown multiple times with his teams that he is a real overperformer.” Mislintat says Steijn is now “ready for a step up, I’m sure of that.”