Ajax chief Marc Overmars is delighted they managed to keep hold of Joel Veltman.

The fullback was the subject of intense interest from West Ham United over the summer.

Overmars told Ajax TV: "It was too dangerous to let him go. I understand that it was a shame for him, because there was a club that seriously wanted him. But the risk was too great that if something happened, we would be exposed.

“I have to say: he always fights back. He is a positive boy with an Ajax heart. We will see if we can hopefully help him in a good way with a foreign adventure in the future, because that is his dream."