Michel endured a miserable season with Girona as, two years after taking the club to the Champions League, he failed to keep it in LaLiga.

Girona's relegation was confirmed on the final day of the season, with Michel leaving last week.

Since Michel's first La Liga campaign with the club in 2022-2023, Girona recorded an average passing accuracy of 86.3 percent and scored 26 goals after open-play sequences consisting of 10 or more passes, with only Barcelona and Real Madrid doing better over that period.

Ajax has moved quickly to appoint the Spaniard, who has penned a two-year deal in Amsterdam.

"It feels good to be here; I am proud to take this next step in my career. Ajax is a big name in Europe, a club that has always produced young, talented players," Michel said.

"[Technical director] Jordi [Cruyff] knows me from my work in Spain, and we have spoken together about the club’s philosophy, about how I work and how that fits in. He has expressed full confidence in me, and together with the other people within the club, we are starting a new challenge. The aim is to get Ajax back to where it belongs, and I have every confidence that we will succeed."

Ajax finished fifth in the Eredivisie in 2025-2026, with just 56 points, the club's lowest tally since 1962.

John Heitinga, Fred Grim and Oscar Garcia all had stints in charge across the campaign.

Ajax did manage to secure Conference League qualification, beating Utrecht in a penalty shoot-out in a play-off.