Friday, 12th September, 2014
Ajax director of football Marc Overmars has defended the club's decision to sell Daley Blind to Manchester United so late in the transfer window and reminded fans that the Netherlands international could well have joined Aston Villa when he was not nearly so appreciated.
Blind departed the Amsterdam ArenA with just days remaining in the summer window, with Ajax banking €17.5m but having precious little time to find a replacement.
It is a development which has met with much criticism from the club's fans and Overmars admits in a perfect world it would have been better for Manchester United to come for Blind sooner.
"I understand the supporters' feelings", he told Ajax Life.
"We weren't happy either when Daley left just before the transfer deadline.
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"We hadn't expected that.
"But obviously something happened at Manchester as well, so they came up with an offer, unlike two weeks earlier."
And Overmars is sure the sale was the right thing to do, reminding fans that when Blind was not rated as highly he could have been sold to Aston Villa.
"Could we have stopped the transfer? You could be stubborn and say that no one else is allowed to leave during the last week of the transfer window.
"One and a half years ago Daley was still jeered and we were also hesitating over whether we should perhaps sell him to Aston Villa for a nice sum or look during the summer break at how he would develop, knowing that his contract which expire.
"When you see what he has gone through and what he has overcome, then you can't deny him this opportunity.
"Then you become the big losers if you stop the transfer."
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