The marriage between Anton Gaaei and Ajax seemed to have been doomed from the start, according to Paul Winters. In the summer of 2023, Ajax paid 4,5 €million for a young right-back who wasn't going to get a place in the starting lineup, and even former Danish international and pundit Kenneth Perez had no idea who he was before he joined Ajax, and was puzzled by Ajax's decision to spend royally on Gaaei.
At that time, Ajax was a club in utter chaos - technical director Sven Mislintat, who infamously spent a dazzling €110 million on subpar players he only knew from data analyses, was fired just three months into his disastrous tenure, and for Gaaei, life in Amsterdam had a terrible start.
Gaaei was publicly humiliated after getting taken off in the 32nd minute by manager Maurice Steijn after an infamous Klassieker derby in the fall of 2023 against Feyenoord, in which Gaaei was directly responsible for two Feyenoord goals in a 4-0 defeat, as Steijn was fired just one month later.
Paul Winters says that "Gaaei recovered admirably from that pitch black day. He fought his way back into the team and actually produced some absolute highlights for Ajax during the 2024/25 season under Francesco Farioli. His incredible goal against FC Utrecht was nominated for Eredivisie Goal of the Year, and he showed that he'd improved his technique massively."
Winters adds that there have been moments during his Ajax career that could suggest that Gaaei would be a player who could make a positive difference for Ajax. "That game against Feyenoord, that goal against FC Utrecht, that time he scored the goal that seemed to earn Ajax an unexpected 37th league title, and that evening in Baku when he completed a comeback in Ajax's first Champions League win of the 2025/26 season."
However, the Dutch expert also says that despite his improvement, "Gaaei isn't a player that can help Ajax return to their glory days. The hard truth is that he doesn't possess the quality a club like Ajax should seek in a player. He is inconsistent defensively, his crossing accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, and overall, he just lacks pure quality." Consequently, Winters is certain that Gaaei will leave Amsterdam in the winter transfer window.
"As a 'Mislintat player', a label no player in Amsterdam ever wants to own, his time in Amsterdam is more than likely to end very, very soon."