Farioli: Reports 35-year-old Nice coach in contention for Ajax job

35-year-old OSG Nice coach Francesco Farioli is reportedly one of the managers being considered for the soon-to-be vacant job with Eredivisie giants Ajax according to reports from Corriere dello Sport.

Ajax have endured a rough season by their usual standards, and had stooped as low as second-from-bottom in the league under Maurice Steijn in the first half of the 2023-24 campaign.

Results have improved under John van’t Schihpp, but his contract only runs until the end of the current season, which leaves Ajax on the hunt for a new head coach for 2024-25.

According to Corriere dello Sport, Ajax’s preferred scenario would be a return for current Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag, but there is still a fairly large chance he stays on at Old Trafford beyond the summer.

If Ajax are not able to land ten Hag, they will be forced to look elsewhere, and Tuesday’s reports claim that Farioli is right at the top of the list of alternatives, alongside former Brighton and Chelsea coach Graham Potter.

Farioli, who had worked as an assistant under Roberto De Zerbi at Benevento and Sassuolo, currently finds himself in fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings, in what has been a very respectable season for him and his Nice squad.