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Jol leaves Ajax; fuels Newcastle link

Martin Jol oversaw a disappointing Champions League campaign at Ajax © Getty Images

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Martin Jol has resigned as manager of Ajax, fuelling links with the vacant position at Newcastle.

Newcastle took the shock decision to axe Chris Hughton on Monday afternoon, citing a desire to bring in a manager with greater experience.

Peter Beardsley has been placed in temporary charge while the club seek out a successor and a host of names including Martin O'Neill and Alan Pardew have been linked with the role.

Jol was prominent in a number of bookmakers' lists for the position and he would now appear free to discuss his future with any club after tendering his resignation at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Ajax confirmed on Monday evening that former Tottenham boss Jol had agreed to a parting of ways. Ajax slipped to fourth in the league after drawing 1-1 with NEC Nijmegen on Saturday and Frank de Boer will take interim charge of affairs.

A dip in form which saw the club slip out of the Champions League has been put forward as the reason for Jol's departure but it comes on the day Newcastle axed Hughton and he has been backed into favouritism with a number of bookmakers.

Jol claims the decision was the best one for Ajax, but refused to be drawn to comment on his own future.

"With pain in my heart I say goodbye to this wonderful club," he said. "We started something last summer that I would have finished. But I have come to realise that the expectations after last season were too high. We cannot meet such expectations.

"The amount of criticism that the club has had to endure daily has led to unrest in the club and among players.

"I take this decision consciously before AC Milan v Ajax (in the Champions League) is played (on Wednesday).

"The coming weeks are very important and I sincerely hope that something happens in the squad to make it in the short term a winning team."

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