After seven Eredivisie games, Ajax currently sit 5th in the Eredivisie table with 14 points. AZ Alkmaar are currently at the top of the table, five points ahead of Ajax, while Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente all also sit above Michel Sanchez's team.

So far this season, Ajax have shown signs of being a very good team, but have also stumbled at times, which is to be expected considering how much has changed at the club since the end of last season. In Michel, they have a new head coach and have also signed 12 new first-team players.

While the 1-3 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in Amsterdam was disappointing, the Amsterdammers have bounced back very well. They beat Fortuna Sittard 1-5 in Limburg, and then beat Willem II 5-1 at home. They then followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Excelsior. While that was a disappointing result, Ajax were dominant, and the performance was, in many aspects, very good.

Ajax also have suifficient sqad depth in most areas of the pitch, which will be very important if they want to compete on all fronts, both domestically and continentally.

As the season goes on, the new signings will fully adapt, and Michel will have more time on the training field to get his ideas across to his players. Ajax will therefore likely continue to get better in the coming months.

Speaking on the Branie podcast, journalist Daan Sutorius has suggested that Ajax's squad is built primarily for the short-term, and players could leave if they do not win the Eredivisie title this season.

"As far as I am concerned, Ajax's bigger plan is very much based on the short term," Sutorius says.

"I don't necessarily get the impression that Ajax is building a successful team for the next few years.

"If Ajax doesn't become champions now, I have the feeling that a major exodus will follow next summer and that you will have to bring in a lot of players again.

"Then you are essentially starting almost from scratch again. I consider that a very critical observation regarding Ajax's policy at the moment."

Sutorius is not the first person to suggest that Ajax's current approach to squad building is too focused on the short-term, but Jordi Cruijff has gone about things in a very smart way, and Ajax will be fine in both the short and long term.

It is clear that Ajax want to challenge for the Eredivisie title immediately, but even if they do not win it this year, they can lay the foundations to win it next year.

Ajax signed Marc ter Stegen and Thilo Kehrer on loan, without buy options. Daley Blind also only signed a one-year deal. There is therefore a chance they could leave next summer, but that is not certain. Kehrer himself has said he would be open to staying longer.

Bissouma also signed a one-year deal, but according to Mike Verweij, a one-year extension will be activated after he plays a certain number of games.

Tou Arokodare and Simon Adingra were both signed on loan, but Ajax have the option to sign them permanently next summer.

Sofyan Amrabat, Julian Brandt, Viktor Tsygankov, Caio Henrique, Jofre Torrents and Marcos Leonardo all have contracts at Ajax which keep them at the club past next summer.

It also should not be forgotten that Cruijff signed several players for Jong Ajax during the summer transfer window who could break through into the first team.

In Aaron Bouwman, Dies Janse, Abdellah Ouazane, Rayane Bounida and Jorthy Mokio, Ajax also have a group of very exciting young players who are starting to prove they are good enough to take the club very far.

While Ajax definitely made signings in the summer that are focused on challenging for titles immediately, there has definitely also been a focus on building a team that can keep the club at the top of Dutch football, once they get back there.