Dutch club AZ Alkmaar recently managed to get US star Aron Johannsson on a new contract. The forward has been included in Jurgen Klinsmann’s US squad for the World Cup 2014. The 23-year-old is eligible to play for both US and Iceland. He was born in the United States, but he has been living in Iceland since the age of three. The club has announced that the forward has extended his contract by four more years. The 23-year-old has been one of the consistent goalscorers for the club last season. He ended up getting 26 in all competitions last season.
This impressive run of form has seen him being linked with several clubs in Europe, but AZ Alkmaar have been keen to keep him on a long-term contract. This news comes as a major boost for the club, which will be hoping to challenge for the title next year. A poor end to the season with no wins in the last five matches was the reason for AZ Alkmaar finishing outside the top four. They could have secured Champions League football had it not been for this poor form towards the end of the season. Meanwhile, the club recently revealed that they would be bringing in Dutch coach Alex Pastoor as the assistant to Marco van Basten.
“My decision has absolutely nothing to do with the current situation at Slavia. I’ve received an excellent offer from Alkmaar, which is 15km from my home in the Netherlands,” said Pastoor, who is currently the manager of Slavia Prague. The 47-year-old has been in charge of the team since March of last season. However, under his regime, they have managed just three wins in total. This poor run of form has seen him leave the club just a few months after his appointment.