New Ajax coach Heitinga: Slot's sidekick and Gravenberch's ‘mentor' who always had big ambitions
For Johnny Heitinga, Liverpool was a fleeting visit. In and out quicker than you can say 'Premier League champions' and with a CV that now looks significantly stronger than when he arrived nine months ago.
Heitinga, who was assistant first-team coach to Arne Slot, is joining Ajax as their new manager on a two-year contract after playing an important role in clinching the title at Anfield.
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The former Netherlands international, who had no previous relationship with Slot when he joined last summer, was hired to bring in Premier League experience and vital know-how during a time of transition.
He went on valuable scouting missions for Slot, helped certain individuals like Ryan Gravenberch thrive, and worked closely with Liverpool's strikers as part of a multi-functioning coaching team that quickly found the magic formula.
Slot recognised Heitinga as a bright coach with similar ideas to him around playing style. His time working under David Moyes at West Ham United gave him an advantage of knowing the ins and outs of the Premier League at a time when Slot and Sipke Hulshoff were untested. His passion for the game was clear and he worked with intensity at Liverpool. 'He grew into our staff from the start in a very good manner,' Slot told reporters earlier in the season.
Yet it was no secret he had an eye on becoming the main man elsewhere in the future. Heitinga has long harboured ambitions to manage at the top level and for years, Ajax was seen as the dream job.
The club in Amsterdam where he was schooled at their famous academy — and where he spent 18 years before moving to Atletico Madrid and then Everton — holds a special place in his heart.
When he retired early and switched focus to coaching, he began with the youngsters at Ajax, then their under-19s where The Athletic watched his intense training sessions in February 2020 and listened to his thoughts about the future.
Heitinga moved up to coach the reserve team and in January 2023, when Alfred Schreuder was sacked with the first team sitting fifth in the Eredivisie, seven points behind Slot's league-leading and title-bound Feyenoord, he achieved his target of taking control of the first team, albeit in awkward circumstances.
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For the second half of the 2022-23 season, as interim manager, he promoted a style to keep possession, press high and win the ball back quickly. He was disappointed when he was not appointed permanently, having won 14 and lost five of his 24 matches.
Ajax, who finished third, went on to suffer greater embarrassment in the times that followed, dropping to the foot of Eredivisie by October 2023 after the failed appointment of Maurice Steijn. Although their most recent season was an improvement on previous years, an astonishing late title collapse was one of the worst seen in history.
With five games remaining, Ajax were nine points clear at the top of the table and required seven points for a 37th top-flight crown yet inexcusably surrendered to PSV Eindhoven. Manager Francesco Farioli shed tears on the final day and was gone 24 hours later, which has opened up the door for Heitinga.
Football moves quickly and just over a month ago, when Liverpool were putting the final pieces to their title-winning season — and Ajax were expected to do the same in the Netherlands — Heitinga's short-term future looked considerably different.
Leaving Liverpool this summer was still a possibility but only if the right opportunity presented itself. Heitinga was linked with jobs in the Championship last season but was committed to seeing out the campaign on Merseyside with so much on the line.
When other clubs showed an interest towards the back end of 2024, Liverpool were still chasing down the title and competing in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. The chance to be a part of something special was a motivating factor for staying, so he decided to weigh up his options at a later stage.
Slot spoke publicly before the final game of the season to say that Ajax 'would be smart' to consider him, adding he believed Heitinga was ready to make such a move, although clearly the head coach did not want to lose one of his newly-found trusted allies.
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'If John is smart, he would stay one more season,' Slot continued.
One of the legacies he will leave behind is the reshaping of Gravenberch as a No 6, the position he tested the Dutch international in when they worked together in the under-19s at Ajax.
'John has been a really big help,' Gravenberch said earlier this month. 'At the club, you have mentors and he is my mentor. I watched clips with him. I had conversations with him about the position. It might have looked easy but it was not. A lot of work went into it.'
Jarell Quansah also spoke about Gravenberch's input, telling reporters earlier this season: 'I can always lean into him. He was an established centre-back who had a great career, so I can always pick his head. He often comes to me, too. Maybe I am trying to do stuff by myself but he will come to me and show me clips, help me find a positive mindset for any game I play in.'
Finding the right replacement to continue working alongside a coaching team that also includes Aaron Briggs will now be important for Liverpool.
The search is on but there's no rush to make an appointment. Heitinga leaves with the appreciation of everyone at the club for the role he played in this season's title success, including standing in for the suspended Slot and his assistant Hulshoff for the vital 2-0 win over Newcastle United in February.
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