Weghorst blossoms after Ajax exit: A lesson in tactical fit

At a cold Euroborg Stadium on Sunday, Wout Weghorst controlled a high ball from the right with one clean touch and fired a superb finish past the Groningen goalkeeper. It was not just a goal that earned FC Twente a point; it was a moment that made legend Wim Kieft admit: “You do start to look at Wout Weghorst differently.” Weghorst left Ajax in January 2026 to join FC Twente after a miserable spell in Amsterdam. Ajax’s attacking identity requires a striker with velvet touch, quick link-up play and mobility — the opposite of Weghorst’s traditional target-man style. Kieft put it bluntly: at Ajax, a forward must be almost as good as Marco van Basten, but nobody is; and Weghorst often looked wooden when asked to receive the ball into feet. At Twente, he is surrounded by a more direct system. He receives crosses, holds the ball up, attacks the box and leads the press. The difference is not just tactical; it is psychological. Weghorst is now a focal point, not a rotation option. He knows he will stay on the pitch and will be fed the service he needs. One goal against Groningen proves little by itself, but it illustrates what happens when a striker is finally treated according to his strengths. There is a danger of overreacting after a few matches, and Twente still dropped points in a 2-2 draw. Yet the deeper lesson is for Ajax: the club may continue to struggle as long as it measures every striker against the ghost of Van Basten. Weghorst is not that type of player, but he never was. At Twente he is allowed to be exactly the striker he has always been — and he is blossoming again.