Ajax rebuilt their defence this summer, signing two new centre-backs and two new left-backs, and they also parted ways with a few players.

At left-back, Ajax signed Caio Henrique from AS Monaco for a reported fee of around €10.5 million. Ajax also signed Jofre Torrents from Barcelona on an initial free transfer, but bonuses included in the deal mean the Amsterdammers may pay up to a few million euros for the Spanish talent.

Ajax were prepared to let Owen Wijndal leave, and he looked set to leave on deadline day, but that transfer collapsed, and Wijndal remains an Ajax player.

In central defence, Ajax sold Ahmetcan Kaplan to NEC Nijmegen after the Turkish defender enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Goffertstadion last season. Josip Sutalo also left, joining Lazio on an initial loan deal, with the Serie A outfit holding the option to make the transfer permanent. Ko Itakura also left, returning to Borussia Mönchengladbach after a disappointing season at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

To add depth to their central defence following those departures, Ajax signed Daley Blind on a free transfer from Girona, while Dies Janse returned to the club after an excellent season on loan at FC Groningen. On deadline day, Ajax also signed Thilo Kehrer on loan from AS Monaco.

Ajax wanted a right-footed centre-back, as Aaron Bouwman is the only centre-back Ajax have that fits that profile. Blind, Janse and Youri Baas are all left-footed.

Ajax had been linked to a couple of centre-backs before signing Kehrer. The German centre-back joined Ajax on a season-long loan, but revealed in an interview with ESPN that he is open to staying longer.

When asked about his future, Kehrer said: "I don't know yet. We'll see how the season goes, but I'm certainly open to it. There are still many matches until next year. We'll see."

Kehrer also explained his decision to join Ajax on deadline day.

"The most important thing for me is to be competitive and to play for titles, to have the ambition to win trophies and matches. That is possible here. The foundation is there; now we have to make it work," Kehrer explained.

"The scale, the stadium, the atmosphere, and the pure football. The club has its own DNA."

Bouwman suffered an injury against PSV Eindhoven in Ajax's 1-3 loss, and the club have confirmed that he will miss all remaining games in September.

Given Kehrer is the only other Ajax centre-back who is right-footed, it is therefore likely that the German will come into the side and start alongside Baas in central defence.

Kehrer is strong and wins a large number of his duels. He adds a lot of experience to Michel Sanchez's team and has the quality to play a big role in Ajax's title charge.

Ajax now have five quality centre-backs with a wide range of qualities. There is a nice blend of youth and experience.