Heitinga leaves Liverpool to take over at Ajax

Ajax person hired John Heitinga arsenic their caller manager, with the Liverpool adjunct replacing Francesco Farioli.

Farioli near the nine aft a melodramatic illness successful the Eredivisie rubric contention arsenic Ajax squandered a nine-point pb implicit PSV with conscionable 5 games remaining.

The Dutch giants person turned to Heitinga, who returns to the nine helium played 154 league games for, and concisely managed. Heitinga was interim brag for six months successful 2023, helping to unafraid a third-place league finish.

Heitinga, who started his coaching vocation successful Ajax's younker ranks, has been an adjunct astatine West Ham United and Liverpool since his past spell successful the Netherlands. He leaves Liverpool aft a Premier League triumph, and Arne Slot volition present beryllium looking for a caller first-team coach.

"I americium incredibly excited to start," Heitinga said. "The past years successful England person done maine a batch of good. I've been capable to make further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, portion besides getting a behind-the-scenes look astatine 2 large clubs.

"I'm acceptable to proceed arsenic a caput manager and I'm honoured to beryllium fixed that accidental astatine Ajax."

Heitinga won 2 Eredivisie titles arsenic a subordinate for Ajax, with 2 spells spanning a decade. A erstwhile defender, helium besides played successful Spain with Atlético Madrid, Germany with Hertha Berlin and England with some Everton and Fulham. The Dutchman was capped 87 times by his state and was a World Cup runner-up successful 2010.

After hanging up his boots successful 2016, helium promptly turned to coaching with Ajax.

"John is simply a bully manager with tremendous drive," Ajax method manager Alex Kroes added. "He is ambitious and has further developed himself implicit the past fewer years successful the Premier League and the Champions League. Marijn [Beuker, Ajax sporting director] and I spoke to him past twelvemonth and person stayed successful interaction since."

Ajax are Dutch football's astir palmy broadside with 36 Eredivisie titles, but haven't won the league since 2022.