Club frustration after player turned down Coventry City – Could have earned much more with Sky Blues

Ajax were left frustrated this summer as Benjamin Tahirovic turned down a lucrative offer to join Coventry City.

That’s according to journalist Mike Verweij, via Soccer News, who says that the player turned down better money because he didn’t like the idea of playing in the Championship.

Tahirovic joined Ajax from Roma in a €7.5m deal in July 2023 and was a regular for them last season, making 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and registering five assists.

He was one of 12 new signings to arrive that summer as the Dutch giants €109m completely reshaping their squad.

That window was quickly seen as something of a disaster as several of the signings failed to live up to the price paid for them and questions were raised about those in charge who had signed them.

Indeed, several were quickly shipped out this summer as the club restructured entirely and looked to start with a clean slate under a new manager and new management above him.

Tahirovic was one of those who didn’t depart but has found himself out of the picture so far, with just three appearances totalling 215 minutes to date.

He started the season training with the youth squads and Verweij now reports that may have been due to him refusing to leave for Coventry in the summer.

“Tahirovic of course never had the idea that he could join Ajax, sign for five years and earn so much,” he said on the Kick-Off podcast.

“That he is even in a position where he can turn down a nice club in England. I found this out by chance in a conversation this week: he could go to Coventry City.

“The clubs were more or less out of it. Ajax was prepared to spend a few million on the almost €8mthey had paid for him. Only he didn’t like the Championship.

“He could earn even more there (Coventry) than at Ajax, but to Ajax’s frustration he stayed put. That was probably also the reason why he initially sat in dressing room two and trained with Jong Ajax.”