Tadic Leaves Ajax After Five Years, Contract Terminated

Champions League: Dusan Tadic left Ajax with immediate effect after the club accepted the captain's request to terminate his current contract that runs until mid-2024.

Ajax took over Tadic from English side Southampton in 2018. In his first season under head coach Erik ten Hag, Ajax won domestic league and cup, and headed to the semifinals of the Champions League in a memorable European campaign, reports Xinhua.

In total, the 34-year-old Serbian won three Dutch championships with Ajax (2019, 2021, 2022) and two Dutch Cups (2019, 2021). In addition, he received the Dutch Player of the Year award in his first season. Tadic played 241 matches for Ajax, in which he scored 105 goals and gave 112 assists.

His last season was not successful. Under Ten Hag's successor Alfred Schreuder and later John Heitinga, Ajax did not win a prize and finished in a disappointing third place in the Eredivisie.

Before the start of the new season with new coach Maurice Steijn, Tadic asked for a meeting with technical director Sven Mislintat, in which he asked for the termination of his contract.

"The decision to leave the club has been a very hard one to make," Tadic said in a press release by Ajax. "However, I believe this is the right moment. I think it's right for not only me but also the club to make a new start. If it's up to me, this is not a final goodbye. I will forever be an Ajax player and hope to return to Amsterdam soon, in a different role as coach."