Liverpool lost assistant coach John Heitinga last summer with the Dutchman joining boyhood club Ajax as their new head coach. It was a big step up for the 41-year-old, who was on Arne Slot’s staff f...
Liverpool lost assistant coach John Heitinga last summer with the Dutchman joining boyhood club Ajax as their new head coach.
It was a big step up for the 41-year-old, who was on Arne Slot’s staff for only one season having previously worked with David Moyes at West Ham.
Heitinga, a former defender, was head coach at Ajax once before during an interim spell back in 2023 and the jury remains out over whether he can succeed with the Amsterdam giants.
He’s found himself in the eye of the storm over the past week - with Ajax unconvincing in their recent 2-1 victory over NAC. Despite winning, the game saw plenty of top names in the media call for Heitinga to leave the Johan Cruyff Arena in the aftermath.
Heitinga's time is up at Ajax already
Former teammate Rafael van der Vaart on TV suggested that Heitinga shouldn’t bother returning to work while Pierre van Hooijdonk said he looked like a “dead man walking”.
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The criticism has intensified among columnists too - with the influential Valentijn Driessen declaring the ex-Liverpool coach had “no clue”.
Sjoerd Mossou, meanwhile, in Algemeen Dagblad said: “The technical director spun a hilariously ridiculous story that Heitinga had 'worked with Arne Slot,' which was supposed to suggest that Johnny had suddenly turned into a world-class manager. The problem is: that's not the case."
Results haven’t improved since last weekend either with Ajax going down 4-0 to Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille in the Champions League midweek. Right now it looks like only a matter of time before he’s given his marching orders.
Heitinga was the mastermind behind McConnell deal
A follow-up problem for Liverpool will be the fate of James McConnell. The highly-rated midfielder was signed on loan by Ajax for the season as a replacement for Jordan Henderson.
But the 20-year-old’s loan deal was met with stiff resistance by some figures around Ajax - who claimed he would stifle the development of Jorthy Mokio.
Now it’s emerged that the signing of midfielder McConnell was forced by Heitinga - who now looks doomed as head coach.
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McConnell set for disappointing Ajax end
McConnell has found it tough to break into the Ajax lineup at the start of the season - although niggling injuries account for some of the youngster’s problems. He’s played not even an hour across two substitute appearances thus far in the Eredivisie and in Europe.
He could however be left out in the cold even further if and when Ajax decide to get rid of Heitinga. A dream move to a European giant - with the lure of first-team football and Champions League participation threatens to turn into a nightmare.
McConnell was initially supposed to go on loan last January but was kept around by Arne Slot - who was taken by the midfielder during first-team training sessions.
He ended up featuring under Slot but required a decent season of first-team football under his belt. Instead he could be returning to Liverpool without that promise having been fulfilled.
Category: General Sports
