John Heitinga Poised to Take the Helm as Ajax’s New Head Coach

Ajax Amsterdam has reached an agreement with John Heitinga to become the new head coach, with former club manager Marcel Keizer stepping in as his assistant, according to multiple reports from Dutch media on Friday.

The 41-year-old Heitinga comes from Liverpool, where he served as one of Arne Slot’s assistants during their successful Premier League title-winning campaign.

Heitinga is set to sign a two-year contract, as confirmed by leading Dutch media outlets, taking over from Francesco Farioli, the Italian coach who resigned earlier this month after Ajax squandered a nine-point advantage, ultimately losing the league title to PSV Eindhoven.

No official announcement has been made by Ajax as yet.

The former defender, who earned 87 caps for the Netherlands national team, previously worked as an assistant under Keizer during the 2016-2017 season when the Jong Ajax side, competing in the Dutch second division, finished second but were denied promotion.

Heitinga also served as acting head coach of Ajax from January to June 2023 after Alfred Schreuder’s dismissal, guiding the team to a third-place finish in the league and into the Dutch Cup final, where they lost to PSV in a penalty shootout.

Despite this, he was not considered for the permanent role at that time.

Keizer, who took over as Ajax manager in mid-2017, was dismissed after just five months, making way for Erik ten Hag, who enjoyed a notably successful tenure with the club.

Although Ten Hag was a frontrunner to return to Ajax for the upcoming season, he has opted instead to join Bayer Leverkusen.

Heitinga, a product of Ajax’s youth academy, experienced notable success as a player, winning two league titles during his eight years with the first team, before moving on to play for clubs such as Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham, and Hertha BSC.

He rejoined Ajax in 2015 but was soon forced to retire due to a series of injuries.