The 62-year-old former Barcelona coach admits he "hates failure" - Ajax finished third in the Eredivisie last term to once again miss out on Champions League football - and wants to do something to get the club back to the top.

He told BNR Nieuwsradio: "They have to contact me. And they must show that they are willing to work with my ideas.

"If they are not prepared to do that, every plan is doomed. And one of the things that I hate is failure."

Martin Jol was recently appointed Marco van Basten's successor at the Amsterdam ArenA.

Cruyff is hoping the former Tottenham and Hamburg coach will prove the right choice to lead the team, but harbours concerns the club's problems in recent years run much deeper than having had the wrong man at the helm.

He added: "Maybe it's a good choice organisation wise. I do hope so, because something needs to happen.

"The problem is of course not only the coach. Otherwise all of the coaches in recent years are bad coaches. That seems illogical to me."