Ajax Amsterdam has signed the third German player of this transfer window at the last minute. Thilo Kehrer is also moving from AS Monaco to the Dutch capital.
Thilo Kehrer is leaving AS Monaco to join Ajax Amsterdam. The Dutch record champions have signed the versatile defender on a one-year loan from the Grand Duchy. Kehrer had been under contract with AS Monaco since January 2024 and at times captained the team on the field.
Ajax Technical Director Jordi Cruyff explained the signing in a press release as follows: “He possesses great mental strength and is accustomed to playing under pressure at the highest level. His presence will also foster healthy competition in the defense, which is essential for balance and intensity within the squad.”
Initially arriving on loan from West Ham United, Kehrer was a regular starter under former coach Adi Hütter. This season, however, the 29-year-old has not been used by new coach Filipe Luis in three of Monaco’s four competitive matches; he was only brought on as a substitute shortly before the end of the league opener in Le Havre. In total, Kehrer has played 90 competitive matches (six goals) for Monaco.
Reunion with Brandt and ter Stegen
In Amsterdam, the 28-time national team player will face two familiar faces from the DFB squad: former Dortmund player Julian Brandt and Marc ter Stegen, who also arrived on loan from Barcelona, have both been playing for Ajax for a few weeks now. All three were part of the DFB squad under then-national team coach Hansi Flick during the disappointing 2022 World Cup.
After four games in the Eredivisie, Ajax has ten points and has also secured a spot in the Conference League through qualifying—a tournament in which Monaco will also participate.
For Kehrer, Amsterdam is his fifth professional club: Before his time in Monaco, the defender played for West Ham United, Paris Saint-Germain, and FC Schalke 04, where the Tübingen native first made his mark in the Bundesliga.