Liverpool confirm departure of ‘excellent’ figure who Arne Slot valued enormously | OneFootball

Liverpool have confirmed the departure of Johnny Heitinga on Saturday, with Arne Slot’s assistant set to take up the top job at Ajax.

The former Everton defender was appointed by the Reds last July, having left West Ham at the end of the previous season, and he also had a caretaker spell as manager in Amsterdam for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 41-year-old contributed towards LFC winning the Premier League title during his sole year at the club, being hailed as ‘an excellent coach‘ by Slot himself – and he’s now returned to his homeland for what’ll be his first full-time managerial position in senior football.

Liverpool confirm Heitinga’s exit

At midday on Saturday, Liverpool announced on their official website that Heitinga has left Anfield to become head coach at Ajax, confirming the news that Fabrizio Romano had reported over the past couple of days.

A club statement said that the ex-Netherlands international ‘leaves with our gratitude and appreciation’ for the work that he carried out during the richly successful 2024/25 season for the Reds.

As per Ian Doyle for Liverpool Echo, LFC will now begin the process of recruiting a new assistant coach to Slot, with numerous candidates to be assessed in the hope of having an appointment in place prior to the squad reconvening for pre-season at the AXA Training Centre in early July.

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Heitinga played his part at Liverpool and we wish him the best at Ajax

It’s a shame that Heitinga has departed after only a solitary season at Liverpool, especially one which had gone so brilliantly, but that’s all he needed to ensure that his goodbye from Anfield is a warm one from Reds supporters.

He can’t be blamed for wanting to embark on his first full-time role in management at senior level, particularly at a club like Ajax who carry such prestige not just in their native country but throughout Europe, and where he already knows the lie of the land from the many years he spent there as an academy and interim coach.

He made a sizeable impression in his previous spell in Amsterdam, with Mohammed Kudus (now of West Ham) describing him as the best coach he had during his time at the club.

The 41-year-old even had the honour of taking charge of LFC for two matches in the spring when Slot and right-hand man Sipke Hulshoff were serving a touchline ban for their choice words towards Michael Oliver after the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, and he oversaw home wins over Newcastle and Southampton.

Heitinga’s caretaker spell at the Amsterdam Arena in 2023 saw him collect 14 wins from 22 matches, a solid return for a young coach with no prior senior experience but still a rate he’ll need to improve if he’s to feel secure at a club where the managerial attrition rate is frightening – they’ve already churned through three permanent bosses and three interims since Erik ten Hag left in 2022.

We thank him for the role that he played in Liverpool’s Premier League triumph and wish him every success at Ajax, and he’ll be assured of a fond welcome the next time he’s back at Anfield.