Nemanja Gudelj Starts His Ajax Career with a Bang

What more could a club ask of a debutant than a goal and assist?

By Dan Stelly | Photo via AFC Ajax

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Nemanja Gudelj is our player of the week for his goal and assist in Ajax’s 3–0 victory over his former club, AZ Alkmaar.

Although he failed to exuberantly celebrate scoring against the side he captained last season, Gudelj was a major factor in his new side’s emphatic win. The Serbian midfielder joined AZ in 2013, after four years with NAC Breda, and quickly made his name known throughout the Eredivisie, earning 88 appearances, scoring 19 goals, and donning the armband across two seasons for the Alkmaar side.

Now, the 23-year-old will have a chance to shine for Ajax, and he’ll have plenty of family support — per his transfer, Gudelj’s younger brother, Dragiša, will start training with the club’s youth outfits while his father, Nebojša, will work as a club scout in the Balkans.

The senior Gudelj will be scouting an area of Europe that’s proven to be quite fruitful — if you need proof, just take a look at the highlights from last weekend’s win.