Thilo Kehrer has completed a season-long loan move to Ajax Amsterdam, confirmed on Wednesday, September 2, as the German defender looks for regular football having fallen down the pecking order at AS Monaco this season.
The 29-year-old made just one appearance for Monaco this campaign, a single minute off the bench against Le Havre on the opening day of the Ligue 1 season, with Eric Dier and Sadibou Sané established as Filipe Luís’s first-choice centre-back pairing, and Christian Mawissa also viewed as ahead of Kehrer in the squad’s defensive hierarchy.
Kehrer joined Monaco on loan from West Ham United in early 2024, before making the move permanent that summer. A product of Schalke 04’s youth academy, he made his professional debut for the German club in 2016 before earning a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018, where he won two Ligue 1 titles among other honours. He later spent two seasons in England with West Ham, capped by 28 appearances for the German national team over the course of his career, and featuring for club and country as both a centre-back and right-back.
At Ajax, Kehrer becomes the third German player to join the club this summer, following goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and midfielder Julian Brandt. Sporting director Jordi Cruijff described Kehrer as an extremely professional and accomplished player, praising the experience and strong mentality he brings to a squad now bolstered by an established international defender ahead of the rest of the season.
Speaking after the move was completed, Kehrer said playing against Ajax in the past, and experiencing the atmosphere inside their stadium, had left a strong impression on him, one that had stayed with him and helped shape his decision to join. The deal is a straight loan with no option to buy, meaning Kehrer’s future beyond this season remains tied to Monaco.