Edwin van der Sar: Ajax chief executive says 'things are clicking' at Dutch giants
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Ajax chief executive Edwin Van der Sar returned to the club after finishing his playing career
Edwin van der Sar says he still has things he wants to accomplish at Ajax as he aims to re-establish the Dutch giants as one of Europe's top clubs.
Ajax host Juventus in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday (20:00 BST), having stunned holders Real Madrid in the last 16.
A 4-1 win in Madrid sent the four-time European champions into the last eight for the first time in 16 years.
"That feeling was immense," the Ajax chief executive told BBC Sport.
"The way we put ourselves forward, putting the name back on a lot of people's minds, that was fantastic."
Van der Sar, who was part of the last Ajax side to lift the Champions League trophy in 1995, returned to the Amsterdam club as marketing director when his playing career ended, before becoming CEO.
The former goalkeeper was initially approached by Ajax legend Johan Cruyff during his final season playing at Manchester United.
"He called me and said there was a possibility they were looking to find an ex-player, who has had a great and amazing career, and create a position on the board of Ajax," said Van der Sar.
"I took on the challenge. I didn't know if I would like it - long meetings, hours on the negotiation tables, a lot of papers to read, representation jobs, going with Uefa, Fifa, the Dutch federation.
"Things are clicking. I am really happy with the place, the position, and the way Ajax is developing."
Alongside their Champions League run, Ajax are top of the Eredivisie as they look for a first league title since 2014 and have also reached the Dutch cup final.
Van der Sar's work has led to him being linked with a return to Manchester United, external in a similar role, but the 48-year-old former Netherlands international says that "is not on my mind".
"I am getting a lot of energy from it," he said of his Ajax role.
"It is hard work. I think you can only do this for clubs you have an affection with, and for the coming years I am happy in Amsterdam.
"This year is fantastic. We want to win the league a couple of times, and after that we will see what the world of football is going to bring me."
The Champions League quarter-final pits Van der Sar against another former side in Juventus, and Ajax are also likely to come up against Cristiano Ronaldo, one of his former United team-mates.
Ronaldo has not featured for Juve since he scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in March, having suffered a thigh injury while on international duty for Portugal.
'The players believe in the project, the power of Ajax'
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Ajax boast a crop of talented young players who have graduated from the club's impressive academy, but it is a tough job attempting to keep them together long enough to become successful.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 21, has already agreed a deal to join Barcelona next season, while centre-back and captain Matthijs de Ligt, 19, and 21-year-old midfielder Donny van de Beek are also sought after.
Van der Sar says the continuity of reaching the Europa League final two years ago and making the Champions League quarter-finals this season is key to holding on to such talent.
"That's what we promised a couple of years ago when we stated the project to bring Ajax back to the European forefront, to the top 20 European clubs, regarding playing more regularly in the latter stages of European football," he explained.
"The players believe in the project, believe in the power of Ajax - how they can express themselves, how they can develop themselves.
"The leagues in the countries around us are probably more interesting and played at a higher level, but in general we are happy with the way we have moved things forward with Ajax, together with Marc Overmars as technical director to establish a squad that can compete at the highest level."
Van der Sar added: "If you are in the Premier League or at Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, you are at an end station. For us, it is difficult. We also have a good scouting department. It is not always easy.
"After two years, maybe they want to move on. We tend to develop or find good players, or great players who can become really great players - so there is a lot of interest in them.
"We have to keep them as level-headed as possible and make sure they give us as much of their time, effort and years before they take the next step."
As for Ajax emulating the side who won the 1995 Champions League, Van der Sar believes today's football climate will make that difficult.
"You see the strength of the Spanish league, the Premier League, Germany, France and Italy," he said. "The TV revenues are so much higher in those countries. It is very difficult to compete - but we are giving it quite a go this year.
"We have established a good team. We added some quality players to the players who have come from our academy. We are well positioned in the quarter-final, but there is a very long way to go with a very tough and good opponent."