It is probably fair to say that Ajax have been going through a period of instability lately. The Dutch club won the Eredivisie under Erik Ten Hag at the end of the 2021-2022 season, but since then have finished third, fifth and second under a succession of different managers.
It looked like de Godenzonen were going to pick up another title at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 campaign, only for the wheels to come off in the last few weeks, resulting in the club missing out and a decision from Francesco Farioli to leave. Now John Heitinga has been appointed as the new head coach.
Who is John Heitinga?
The name of John Heitinga is one that will be known to both English and Dutch fans, thanks to his playing career as well as his time since moving into management. Born in the Dutch city of Alphen aan den Rijn on the 15th of November 1983, he became part of the Ajax youth system proper to making his first-team debut on the 26th of August 2001.
That match was against Feyenoord, with Heitinga going on to play another 151 times for de Godenzonen before signing for Atlético Madrid. From there, he joined the Premier League as a player for Everton, making more than 100 appearances in the English top-flight.
Fulham and Hertha BSC were the other two teams he played for before returning to Ajax to see out his playing career. In 2021, Heitinga was given a coaching role with Jong Ajax, staying there for two seasons before briefly being given the interim manager’s job with the first team after the sacking of Alfred Schreuder.
His first match in charge resulted in a 4-1 win, leading the club to a third-place finish, with the club also losing in the final of the KNVB Cup. In the September of 2023, Heitinga was appointed first-team coach for West Ham United under his former Everton manager, David Moyes.
Learning Under Arne Slot
At the end of the 2023-2024 season, David Moyes left his role as West Ham manager, taking his backroom staff with him. That meant that Heitinga was once again looking for a new role, which he found under his Dutch compatriot Arne Slot at Liverpool.
In spite of the links between him and the Merseyside club’s fierce rivals Everton, Heitinga was welcomed at Anfield and even took charge of the club for their 2-0 win over Newcastle United thanks to the suspension of both Slot and his assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff. The Reds went on to win the Premier League title that season.
Ajax has reached an agreement with John Heitinga regarding the coach’s move to Amsterdam. Heitinga is signing a contract with Ajax as head coach until June 30, 2027 ✍️
— AFC Ajax (@afc-ajax.bsky.social) 31 May 2025 at 12:20
Heitinga spent the time learning what he could from Slot, who had previously been the manager of SC Cambuur, AZ and Feyenoord in the Netherlands, winning both the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup with the latter, as well as making it to the final of the UEFA Conference League.
The experience that Heitinga gained under his fellow Dutchman will doubtless have been part of Ajax’s consideration when choosing to give their former player the head coach’s job, given the fact that winning the Premier League at the first time of asking and with no other experience in England takes some doing.
What Will He Offer Ajax?
John Heitinga was appointed as Liverpool’s first-team coach in order to bring some Premier League knowledge to the Merseyside club. It obviously paid off, given the fact that they ended up as Champions, but being a head coach in your own right is a different ball game altogether.
Ajax fans are understandably wondering what he is likely to bring to the table in the coming months and, if things go well, years. The supporters will be pleased to know that he has not only long held ambitions to become a manager, but that he has always seen Ajax as the dream job for him to do it in.
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When he took over as interim manager at the club in the second half of the 2022-2023 season, one that eventually saw Arne Slot’s Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title, Heitinga looked to promote a sense of keeping possession and winning the ball back quickly through a high press. He was in charge for 22 matches, winning 14 of them and losing five.
Having shaped the play of Ryan Gravenberch at Anfield, who was one of Liverpool’s players of the season, youngsters have a lot to look forward to under Heitinga. Whether the step up will prove to be too big is the key thing that remains to be seen.