Anfield Watch
·18 December 2025
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·18 December 2025
Harvey Elliott went to Aston Villa where he is enduring a tough spell and James McConnell and Vitezslav Jaros joined Ajax.
While Jaros has recently got back into the team it’s fair to say the deal thus far has been a washout for midfielder McConnell.
The 21-year-old hasn’t played for Ajax since October and the head coach who signed him - John Heitinga - has already been sacked.
It’s been suggested that he could return to Liverpool in January - and the ramifications of this ill-conceived loan deal are still being felt.
The highly respected journalist Mike Verweij in De Telegraaf claims that McConnell’s signing sparked a civil war inside the Johan Cruyff Arena - with the aftershocks still being felt.
That’s because Ajax’s chief scout Kelvin de Lang is leaving the club owing to disagreements over several signings - McConnell included.
“Kelvin de Lang is leaving Ajax,” his report reads.
“The chief scout is seeking a new challenge, having not always felt heard in the signing of players and having a difficult relationship with technical director Alex Kroes.
“De Lang, for example, disagreed with the signing of James McConnell.
“The free transfer of Takehiro Tomiyasu, who had been sidelined for over a year due to serious knee injuries and is currently undergoing a medical in Amsterdam, was supposedly the straw that broke the camel's back.”
© IMAGO - James McConnell Liverpool Ajax









































