Ajax coach Francesco Farioli is leaving the club after one season after falling agonisingly short of winning a 37th Dutch league title.

The 35-year-old Italian saw his team surrender a nine-point lead in the last six matches of the season to finish a point behind PSV Eindhoven, despite beating Twente 2-0 on the final day on Sunday.

Farioli had reportedly been aggravated by the board’s refusal to sign new players during the January transfer window as he looked to add depth to the squad.

In a statement released on the club’s website, the coach said: “The management and I share the same goals for Ajax’s future, but we have a difference in insight about the way we want to work and operate to achieve this goal.”

“It’s extremely disappointing,” technical director Alex Kroes said. “Francesco and his staff have been hugely helpful. It was a very intense season with lots of great memories in which we achieved our objective of playing in the UEFA Champions League next season.”

Recovery season

Farioli arrived from French club Nice following a disastrous season in which Ajax had finished fifth, its lowest position for 24 years, and went through three coaches, starting with Maurice Steijn, who quit after just 11 matches in charge.

Director of football Sven Mislintat was sacked amid claims that he had breached the conflict of interest rules around business relationships with players’ agents.

An independent investigation by KPMG cleared Mislintat of wrongdoing, but criticised the club for giving him effective control of its transfer policy.

Farioli remodelled the team from the existing squad, giving English veteran captain Jordan Henderson a more prominent role and bringing through promising youngsters such as Belgian pair Mika Godts and Jorthy Mokio.

He also rehabilitated players who had underperformed last season, notably midfielder Kenneth Taylor and right-back Anton Gaaei.

Defensive style

Farioli’s defensive, parsimonious style of play was not universally loved by Ajax fans raised in the traditions of Cruyff, Van Basten and Bergkamp, but it was effective.

After Christmas Ajax took full advantage of a dip in form by reigning champions PSV to go nine points clear by winning 2-0 win in Eindhoven on March 30.

But after two further wins, Ajax stumbled in sight of the winning post, taking just two points from their next four matches, including heavy defeats to Utrecht and NEC Nijmegen.

A revitalised PSV seized their chance and edged in front in the title race after Ajax conceded a 99th-minute equaliser to Groningen in the penultimate round of matches.

PSV sewed up the title on Sunday by winning 3-1 at Sparta – the team now coached by former Ajax boss Maurice Steijn.