A member of Arne Slot’s Premier League title-winning team has been let go by his second club since November.
Departing Anfield has often gone wrong for Liverpool players. Philippe Coutinho, Fernando Torres and Georginio Wijnaldum can attest to that.
The fate of coaching staff members who exit for new opportunities isn’t often discussed. Well, it turns out, the football world can be just as brutal for coaches.
John Heitinga axed after 32 days at Tottenham
After playing a key role in the 2024-25 season as Slot’s assistant manager, John Heitinga opted to leave Anfield in the summer.
His most recent role was as Thomas Frank’s assistant at Tottenham Hotspur. Heitinga has now followed the Danish manager out of the door after he was sacked last week.
Spurs new interim boss Igor Tudor has quickly put his stamp on the backroom staff at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That has included showing Heitinga the door after only arriving on January 15.
Frank was excited at the prospect of working with the Dutchman, who previously played for Everton.
“I think he was a standout candidate with everything he’s experienced. Of course, obviously, a top playing career, that’s one thing,” the Dane explained when asked about Heitinga’s arrival in January.
The ex-Spurs manager added: “And then on top of that, had two good experiences in Premier League in West Ham and Liverpool. And now also been trying to stand out there where there’s a bit more noise and wind sometimes. That gave him the perfect profile.”
Heitinga lasted just months before Ajax sacking
His reasoning for leaving Liverpool was to pursue a career as a manager in his own right. Heitinga’s former club, Ajax, handed him that opportunity ahead of the 2025-26 season.
The 42-year-old’s time in Amsterdam was short-lived as the Dutch giants announced his sacking in early November. Ajax were bottom of the league phase in the Champions League and eight points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord at the time.
“It’s a painful decision. But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned,” Ajax technical director Alex Kroes said.
Liverpool players loved Heitinga
The Liverpool squad rated Heitinga highly during his 12 months at the club. Ryan Gravenberch pointed out his compatriot as one of the biggest influences during his impressive 2024-25 season.
The midfielder told Liverpool’s website: “Definitely John Heitinga. He was my U19s coach at Ajax, so we go way back. We’ve analysed my game together, which has helped me improve.”
Liverpool’s 2025/26 statisitcs (since John Heitinga left):
| Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Status |
| Premier League | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 41 | 35 | 6th Place |
| Champions League | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 8 | Round of 16 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 5th Round |
| EFL Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Eliminated (R4) |
| Community Shield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Runners-up |
| Total | 39 | 21 | 6 | 12 | 72 | 50 |
Some supporters believe that Heitinga leaving and being replaced by compatriot Giovanni van Bronckhorst was a big factor in the club’s poor season.
Sitting sixth place in the Premier League doesn’t do much to dispel that theory. Is there a world where Slot tries to bring his old coach back into the fold now that he’s available again?
