Jan Roelfs, a commentator for NOS, believes that Julian Brandt has been the standout transfer of the season. VoetbalPrimeur reports that Roelfs made this statement to Dagblad van het Noorden. Brandt has quickly settled into the Ajax team and is now a key player in the starting lineup under trainer Míchel Sánchez. Roelfs was particularly impressed by the German midfielder's ability to adapt quickly to the team.
Roelfs also found it surprising that a player of Brandt's calibre chose to join Ajax in the Conference League. However, he believes that this transfer says a lot about the contacts of Ajax's technical director, Jordi Cruijff. Roelfs praised Cruijff's ability to bring in top players, citing his experience working at Barcelona and his network of agents. He sees Cruijff's influence at Ajax on multiple levels, with Brandt being a prime example.
Roelfs also highlighted the importance of a technical director's role going beyond just signing new players. He pointed out that Cruijff has also been successful in letting players go, citing the example of Josip Šutalo's departure.