Jol quits Hamburg and returns home to replace Van Basten

Martin Jol has been appointed as Ajax's head coach on a three-year contract. The former Tottenham manager became the Hamburg coach last summer and led the club to a fifth-place finish in the Bundesliga – and a Europa League spot.

The 53-year-old succeeds Marco van Basten, who resigned after missing out on a Champions League spot.

Jol, who last worked in the Netherlands with RKC Waalwijk before moving to Tottenham to take up the role of assistant to head coach Jacques Santini in 2004, is relishing a return to his homeland. He said: "Ajax gives me a great opportunity, with an eye for the long term. I get a very wide array of responsibilities. I very much want to get started."

Jol spent three years in sole charge at Tottenham before being sacked in 2007. Contrary to reports in the North-east, he was not in contention for the Sunderland job.