Delorge bolsters Ajax midfield

AFC Ajax have signed Belgian midfielder Laurent Delorge from relegated ADO Den Haag as they look ahead to playing European football again next season.

Dream move
The 27-year-old has agreed a two-year contract, which will keep him in Amsterdam until the summer of 2009. He signed for Den Haag on a three-year contract last summer but was able to leave on a free transfer due to a relegation clause in his contract. "I have worked very hard for this, but at the same time I never thought I would get to play for Ajax," Delorge said. "I hope to adjust quickly to the higher standard of play here."

English beginnings
Delorge made his name in English football, coming through the ranks at Coventry City FC before returning to his native Belgium to join K. Lierse SK midway through the 2002/03 season. He moved on to RSC Anderlecht in 2005, making eleven league appearances - ten of them as a substitute - before being dismissed in February 2006 following an investigation into a match-fixing scandal during his time at Lierse.

European situation