Fabrizio Romano reports the “deal is done” for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to become the new Feyenoord manager just days after his Liverpool exit, bringing ex-Anfield assistant Sipke Hulshoff with him.
The revolving door at Anfield continues to spin at a dizzying pace. Just three days after Liverpool officially confirmed his departure, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has already found his next destination.
The 51-year-old is heading back to familiar territory, closing a deal to become the new manager of Eredivisie giants Feyenoord.
Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano confirms the deal is a “done thing,” with an official announcement from Rotterdam expected imminently.
In an ironic twist of fate, Van Bronckhorst will bring a very familiar face along with him to De Kuip. Sipke Hulshoff, who served as Arne Slot’s trusted number two at both Feyenoord and Anfield, joins as his assistant manager.
The move caps off a tumultuous fortnight on Merseyside following the summary sacking of Arne Slot at the end of May. As new Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola finalises his own backroom staff, the remnants of the previous regime are quickly scattering across Europe.
A drastic Rotterdam restructure
Van Bronckhorst replaces former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, whom Feyenoord axed this month after an unconvincing 58-match stint in charge. Van Persie leaves De Kuip having won 30, lost 19, and drawn nine of his matches at the helm.
Remarkably, Van Bronckhorst represents Feyenoord’s third permanent managerial appointment since Arne Slot packed his bags for Anfield in the summer of 2024. Van Persie’s own predecessor, Brian Priske, lasted a mere eight months in the hot seat before the club dismissed him.
For Van Bronckhorst, this represents an emotional homecoming. He racked up 249 appearances for Feyenoord during his glittering playing career which also included heavily decorated stints at Barcelona, Rangers, and Arsenal before taking his first senior managerial steps at De Kuip eleven years ago.
His initial four-year tenure yielded immense success, breaking an 18-year drought to secure the Eredivisie title alongside a KNVB Cup triumph.
Redemptions and regrets
The veteran coach desperately needs this fresh start. His stock has fallen considerably since he chose to leave Rotterdam in 2019. A brief foray into the Chinese Super League with Guangzhou City preceded a mixed spell at Rangers.
While he guided the Scottish giants to a Europa League final in 2022 undone only by an agonising penalty shootout defeat to Oliver Glasner’s Eintracht Frankfurt his domestic form cratered.
Rangers dismissed him in November 2022 after falling nine points behind Celtic, a demise fueled by a disastrous Champions League campaign where Rangers became the statistically worst group-stage team in history, losing all six games with a minus-20 goal difference.
His subsequent tenure at Besiktas proved even more bruising; the Turkish club handed him his marching orders after just 20 matches last November.
When the Reds recruited Van Bronckhorst last summer to replace the at the time Ajax-bound John Heitinga, the hierarchy envisioned his veteran presence steadying Slot’s backroom staff. Instead, he presided over a miserable collective collapse. The Reds plummeted from Premier League champions to a fifth-place finish, ending the campaign completely devoid of silverware.
The great Slot split
Perhaps the most fascinating sub-plot of this package deal centers on Hulshoff. The coach leaves a highly successful four-year working relationship with Slot to drop down into an assistant role under a manager who was technically his junior on the Anfield pecking order last season.
Hulshoff’s return to Feyenoord, where he previously spent three years as a coach, heavily implies that Slot does not plan an imminent return to the dugout.
Fulham recently approached Slot to replace the newly appointed Benfica boss Marco Silva, but he flatly rejected the West London side. Reports suggest Slot wants to take his time and wait for the perfect opportunity rather than rushing back into a vacancy. Consequently, Fulham have shifted their focus to Alvaro Arbeloa.
When Slot eventually decides to resume his career, he must construct a completely new inner circle. Fitness coach Ruben Peeters has also followed him out of the Anfield exit door, meaning Slot’s traditional backroom unit has entirely dissolved.
ReadLiverpoolFC Verdict
Let’s not sugarcoat it nobody on Merseyside will lose sleep over this double departure.
The experiment of embedding Van Bronckhorst into the coaching staff simply never worked, and his single season at Anfield coincided with one of the most unremittingly miserable title defenses in recent memory. Slipping to fifth place without a single trophy was completely unacceptable for a squad of this calibre.
While it is certainly surprising to see Hulshoff abandon Slot to act as a number two for a man who struggled so heavily in Turkey and Scotland, a return to Rotterdam makes complete sense for all parties. Liverpool fans can now completely close the book on a forgettable chapter.
The decks are officially cleared for Andoni Iraola to implement his own high-pressing philosophy and aggressive identity. The transition is finally underway, and frankly, it is overdue.
