John Heitinga leaves role as Arne Slot’s assistant at Liverpool to become new Ajax head coach

John Heitinga has left his role as assistant to Liverpool manager Arne Slot to join Ajax as head coach.

The 41-year-old spent a year as part of Liverpool’s backroom staff, helping the club to the Premier League title.

The former Everton defender will return to his native Netherlands and re-join Ajax, where he began his playing career and spent six months as interim boss in 2023.

Heitinga will replace Francesco Farioli, who resigned as Ajax head coach after a poor end to the season saw his side miss out on the Eredivisie title by a point to PSV Eindhoven.

After spells at West Ham and Liverpool, Heitinga said he had the required experience to take on the job.

“I am incredibly excited to start,” he said. “The last years in England have done me a lot of good. I’ve been able to develop further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at two major clubs.

“I’m ready to continue as a head coach and I’m honoured to be given that opportunity at Ajax.”

Ajax technical director Alex Kroes said: “John is a good coach with enormous drive. He is ambitious and has further developed himself over the past few years in the Premier League and the Champions League.

“Marijn [Beuker, Ajax sporting director] and I spoke to him last year and have stayed in contact since.

“John knows the club well, and we are convinced that he, together with [assistant] Marcel [Keizer], will help improve our players and build on the progress made since last summer in terms of, for example, elite sporting culture and discipline.

“It’s good that it’s decided early on in the summer break that they will be in charge from the end of June. Marijn and I can now continue working with John and the other parties involved on the squad composition for the coming season.”

Heitinga won two Eredivisie titles during his playing career at Ajax, before leaving the club for Atletico Madrid in 2008.

The former Netherlands international later played for Everton and Fulham in the Premier League, ending his career with Ajax and beginning his coaching career with the club’s youth teams.