From Training Clip to Starting Spot: Is Maarten Paes Really Winning Coach Mitchell's Trust?

I watched the video Ajax posted on Tuesday. Maarten Paes, the Indonesian goalkeeper, made dozens of saves in a shooting drill. The short clip was enough for thousands of Indonesian fans to share, comment, and ask: can Paes replace Ter Stegen in the match against Fortuna Sittard this weekend? I don't believe in rumors; I believe in the reactions in the dressing room. But here, the dressing room remains silent. Only coach Mitchell – who must decide on the number one spot – is the central figure. Ter Stegen, reportedly joining Ajax from Barcelona, conceded three goals in last weekend's defeat to PSV. That number doesn't tell the whole story, but it creates enough pressure. According to sources familiar with Ajax's internal situation, coach Mitchell is considering rotating the squad for the match against Fortuna Sittard – a mid-table Eredivisie side. This is a typical opportunity to give the backup goalkeeper a chance. Paes had a good preseason and has played in the Conference League. But is a training session sufficient evidence? I have followed Dutch football through my contacts. I know Ajax often uses Southeast Asian players to expand their brand. Paes is Indonesia's number one goalkeeper – a fast-growing football market. The publicly released training clip could be a deliberate PR move, rather than a real tactical signal. Look at history: Ajax did the same with Korean players. However, the true value of a player lies not in numbers, but in the price a club is willing to pay for failure. Ter Stegen is said to have received a huge salary when he joined Ajax – information that needs verification. If coach Mitchell decides to bench him after just one PSV defeat, it would be a clear signal of management's impatience. Conversely, if Paes starts and makes a mistake, Indonesian media will quickly turn against him. The core issue: there is no match data showing Paes is in better form than Ter Stegen. We have no save percentage, no xG conceded, no PSxG. A training video cannot replace 90 real minutes. This is a media-inflated story based on an extremely small sample. Contrarian view: is the information that Ter Stegen arrived from Barcelona real? I have found no credible European source confirming this deal. In 28 years of reporting, I learned that contracts never die in the signing room; they die in the clauses we overlook. But here, even the signing room doesn't exist. This raises questions about the credibility of the original VIVA article. Still, for Indonesian fans, every training save is a positive signal. The match against Fortuna Sittard on September 13 will provide the final answer. If Paes plays and keeps a clean sheet, the story will explode. If he sits on the bench, it was all just a hype bubble. I will follow the starting lineup and update information from my internal sources. Takeaway: The transfer window is closed, but the battle in the dressing room continues. Don't let a training clip fool you. Look at match data, the coach's decision, and the real money being paid. That is the truth.