- John Heitinga linked with Liverpool return
- Arne Slot pushing for ex-Tottenham assistant
- Free agent since Igor Tudor joined Spurs
John Heitinga joined Tottenham in mid-January but lasted just over a month at the club after Thomas Frank was sacked in February.
The Dutchman joined Spurs months after he was sacked by Ajax in November, following a poor run of form and the UEFA Champions League loss to Galatasaray.
Frank brought him in to help out as the club were unable to get into a rhythm on the pitch.
Heitinga was a part of Arne Slot’s backroom staff last season when they went on to win the Premier League title.
However, his stint at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium lasted just 33 days, as the club sacked Frank, and he left following the arrival of Igor Tudor with his assistants.
Arne Slot wants John Heitinga at Liverpool
Feyenoord are keen to appoint Slot’s assistant, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, as their new technical director at De Kuip. The Dutchman is open to the opportunity, and the Liverpool manager is now turning his focus on rehiring Heitinga.
Mounir Boualin was on SoccerNews’s Transfermind, and he reported that Heitinga is unsure about returning to Anfield. The Dutchman wants to become a head coach once again, despite his poor stint with Ajax and said:
“Slot would love to get John Heitinga back, I understood. Then Van Bronckhorst must first leave, who is mentioned in the corridors at Feyenoord.
“There is also something going on there. Should Van Bronckhorst go to Feyenoord, then Liverpool should go for Heitinga, according to Slot.”
“He has already indicated that internally. Heitinga is limping a little bit on several thoughts. He still feels like becoming a head coach. I heard that some clubs have already inquired about him.”
Liverpool are yet to decide on the future of Slot, who has just over a year left on his current deal. The fans have been calling for the Dutchman’s sacking, but the board seems set on keeping him at the club next season.
Tottenham wanted Heitinga in Igor Tudor’s backroom
Heitinga’s agent has confirmed that the Dutchman joined Thomas Frank’s backroom staff with a view to taking over at Tottenham.
He said that the club offered him the chance to stay on with Igor Tudor joining, but the former Ajax coach opted to leave as he was not given the chance to be the interim manager.
“He was allowed to stay. They even asked him to stay. All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left. And after three weeks, they told him: ‘Please stay and see out your contract here.’ That’s quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.”
“There was a chance he would take over [from Thomas Frank]; we had that in mind. Only, the club didn’t. After three weeks, they decided it was too soon. So, then you have an interim manager.”
Heitinga has a big decision to make, as the last year has not gone according to plan. He left Liverpool in May, was sacked by Ajax in November, and then left Tottenham in February.
