Ajax coach Frank de Boer was relieved to see key duo Gregory van der Wiel and Jan Vertonghen snub transfer deadline day interest from Spain to stay at the Amsterdam Arena. Primera Liga side Valencia were thought to have made a late move for the talented pair but neither player opted to make a Spanish move. De Boer admits he was delighted to see the two defenders remain with the Eredivisie champions. He told Ajax TV : "Greg and Jan can see that there is something beautiful growing in Amsterdam. "They have both always emphasised that they are really enjoying themselves and it is not necessary to have to leave now. "And besides, we play in the Champions League." Despite the pair's insistence that they wanted to stay, De Boer admits he was scared of losing them when he heard of the interest from abroad from technical manager Danny Blind. "I said, 'I do not want you calling'," he added. "There were rumours that Inter were in the market for them in January. "If the club accepts the set amount in the contract, then there's not much you can do."
