Liverpool Football Club has made an exciting addition to their coaching staff with the appointment of former Everton defender John Heitinga. The Dutchman will serve as an assistant coach under Arne Slot, as the club finalizes its new-look backroom team.
Heitinga brings a wealth of experience to Liverpool, having previously worked with Ajax and West Ham. The 40-year-old left West Ham at the end of last season following David Moyes’ departure. Throughout his 15-year playing career, Heitinga represented clubs such as Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham, and Hertha Berlin. He also earned 87 caps for the Netherlands national team as a hard-tackling center-back.
Joining Slot’s staff, Heitinga will be working alongside other notable additions such as Sipke Hulshoff and Ruben Peeters. This new coaching team aims to bring fresh perspectives and expertise to Liverpool’s first team.
Heitinga is not new to coaching, having accumulated seven years of experience already. During his time at Ajax, he even served as interim manager for 22 games after Alfred Schreuder was sacked. Under his guidance, Ajax achieved impressive results, including 14 wins, three draws, and five losses. They finished third in the Eredivisie and reached the finals of the KNVB Cup.
Interestingly, Heitinga faced Slot’s Feyenoord twice during his tenure as interim manager. The first encounter resulted in a 3-2 loss for Ajax in the league, but they bounced back with a 2-1 victory in the KNVB Cup semi-finals. This experience will prove valuable as Slot’s coaching team lacks significant Premier League experience.
Liverpool has also made other additions to their coaching staff. Fabian Otte has been recruited as the head of first-team goalkeeper coaching, while Aaron Briggs joins as the first-team individual development coach. These appointments come after a summer that saw the departure of several coaches, including Jurgen Klopp, Pepijn Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, Vitor Matos, Andreas Kornmayer, John Achterberg, Jack Robinson, and Andreas Schlumberger.
Although the club had hoped to bring in Etienne Reijnen from Feyenoord, work permit issues prevented the move. Liverpool has also been in search of a specialist set-piece coach, but it remains unclear if the position has been filled. However, the club has made progress in their pursuit of a new strength and conditioning coach, potentially through internal recruitment. Additionally, Liverpool is targeting another first-team physio and has advertised two positions on their data team.
Overall, with the addition of John Heitinga and other talented coaches, Liverpool is shaping a strong coaching team to support their first team. The blend of experience and fresh perspectives will undoubtedly enhance the club’s ability to compete in the Premier League and other competitions.