Ajax have hired John Heitinga as their new manager, with the Liverpool assistant replacing Francesco Farioli.
Farioli left the club after a dramatic collapse in the Eredivisie title race as Ajax squandered a nine-point lead over PSV with just five games remaining.
The Dutch giants have turned to Heitinga, who returns to the club he played 154 league games for, and briefly managed. Heitinga was interim boss for six months in 2023, helping to secure a third-place league finish.
Heitinga, who started his coaching career in Ajax’s youth ranks, has been an assistant at West Ham United and Liverpool since his last spell in the Netherlands. He leaves Liverpool after a Premier League triumph, and Arne Slot will now be looking for a new first-team coach.
“I am incredibly excited to start,” Heitinga 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.”
Heitinga won two Eredivisie titles as a player for Ajax, with two spells spanning a decade. A former defender, he also played in Spain with Atlético Madrid, Germany with Hertha Berlin and England with both Everton and Fulham. The Dutchman was capped 87 times by his country and was a World Cup runner-up in 2010.
After hanging up his boots in 2016, he promptly turned to coaching with Ajax.
“John is a good coach with enormous drive,” Ajax technical director Alex Kroes added. “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.”
Ajax are Dutch football’s most successful side with 36 Eredivisie titles, but haven’t won the league since 2022.
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