It was a very busy summer transfer window for Ajax as Jordi Cruijff looked to build a squad that could win the Eredivisie title. Ajax finished 28 points behind Eredivisie winners PSV Eindhoven, but Cruijff wants to challenge immediately.

Ajax made eleven first-team signings this summer, strengthening nearly every single position. 

Ajax paid transfer fees for only three of those eleven players: Marcos Leonardo, Caio Henrique, and Viktor Tsyhankov. The remaining eight transfers were either free transfers or loans.

Julian Brandt, Daley Blind and Sofyan Amrabat all moved to Amsterdam on free transfers. Jofre Torrents did too, but Ajax could still end up paying Barcelona a couple of million euros if certain bonuses are met.

Simon Adingra, Thilo Kehrer, Tolu Arokodare and Marc ter Stegen all moved to Ajax on loan. Ajax also included buy options in the deals for Tolu and Adingra.

Jordi Cruijff has explained Ajax's transfer strategy and the reasoning behind targeting players on loan and free transfers.

Speaking to ESPN, Cruijff explained that he believes there is little risk involved in first signing a player on loan.

"I actually don't consider it a risk at all," Cruijff explained.

"What is a risk is paying for a transfer from club to club. If it goes wrong, you can't negotiate anymore. If you sign a player on a free transfer, give them a three-year contract, and it doesn't work out, then you can negotiate. If they still have two years left, you give them forty or fifty per cent, and you can break it.

"So it is not a risk at all, but people don't get that.

"If you have worked with Spanish Fair Play in Spain, which is the most difficult in Europe, then you know how to minimise risks sometimes. We don't have any Champions League income right now either, so you have to be extremely creative.

"If I can loan a player with an option—in other words, I can study him for a year and only have to decide after that—then I consider that to be precisely the minimisation of risk. The real risk is buying and hoping for the best. The other way around is more creative and much less risky," Cruijff concluded.

As Cruijff mentioned, the lack of Champions League income restricted Ajax's spending ability, and they therefore had to be creative.

The signings of Adingra and Tolu, in particular, were clearly very well thought out. Both players had relatively disappointing seasons last year, but have shown throughout their careers that they can perform at a very high level.

Wout Weghorst left on a free transfer, and signing Tolu, a player who offers similar attributes, on loan, meant that Ajax did not need to commit funds to signing a backup striker and could instead focus on strengthening priorirt positions.

It is also quite clear that Adingra was not Ajax's top target for the left wing position. He is an immensely talented player who struggled last season. Therefore, signing him on loan with the option to buy means that if he does well, Ajax can sign him next summer for a reasonable fee. If he does not, he leaves and Ajax can go back into the market and potentially sign a player who was higher on their shortlist than Adingra was this summer.

What is even more impressive than the transfer strategy is the calibre of players Cruijff was able to sign on loan. Ter Stegen, Kehrer, Adingra and Tolu would all start for most teams in the Eredivisie, or at the very least, significantly strengthen their squad.