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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool hero's agent admits ex-Reds star would love Anfield return this summer
While attention remains firmly placed on whether move can be sealed for Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, Arne Slot remains in the market for a new assistant after John Heitinga's departure Dirk Kuyt would love to rejoin Liverpool as Arne Slot's assistant manager but his agent has ruled out the prospect of the Anfield cult hero replacing John Heitinga as the head coach's key lieutenant. Slot is in the market for a new assistant coach after Heitinga last week became the new boss at Ajax and that prompted speculation that former forward Kuyt could step in - having previously had a chance to work as an assistant under the Reds chief while at AZ Alkmaar. However Kuyt's representative Rob Jansen has said the move will not happen. 'No, it will be a different assistant coach. That would have been great for him,' Jansen told podcast KieftJansenEgmondGijp. 'The assistant of Liverpool will be someone else. It would have been great for Dirk. He would have loved to go to Liverpool. Assistant there is of course a serious level.' In a conversation on Peter Crouch's podcast earlier this season Kuyt confirmed he turned down Slot's offer at Alkmaar. 'I know him very well. I had the opportunity when I retired from football to become his assistant at AZ,' Kuyt said. 'I didn't choose to become his assistant which I regret of course now. "But when he was at Feyenoord he gave me the opportunity to work a week alongside him to see how he's training and preparing for a game, so that was really interesting and of course I follow him very closely.' Kuyt, currently in charge of Belgian top flight side Beerschot, spent six seasons at Liverpool, scoring 71 times in 285 appearances. But his only piece of silverware was a League Cup. Among the other names linked with replacing Heitinga are Marino Pusic, who was Slot's assistant at AZ and Feyenoord and last month said farewell to Shakhtar Donetsk. Etienne Reijnen, the current Feyenoord assistant, was in contention for a role last summer but there were reported issues with his work permit. Liverpool have already had an active start to the off-season with Jeremie Frimpong arriving from Bayer Leverkusen as Trent Alexander-Arnold's replacement, while Milos Kerkez is close to being signed from Bournemouth and talks continue with Leverkusen around star man Florian Wirtz over a British record deal that could end up being worth £125m.
Metro
3 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Liverpool hero's agent speaks out on rumoured return to Anfield
A romantic return to Liverpool for cult hero Dirk Kuyt has been ruled out by his agent, although the former Reds forward would love to go back to Anfield. The 44-year-old joined the Reds from Feyenoord in 2006 and would go on to spend six seasons as a regular in the first team. The forward made 285 appearances in all competitions, netting 71 times, with 51 of those goals coming in the Premier League. Kuyt played with some legendary Liverpool figures, but it was not an era laden with silverware and the Dutchman left in 2012 with just one League Cup to his name. He has now moved into management, briefly taking charge of Dutch side ADO Den Haag in 2022 and having been the boss of Belgian outfit Beerschot since 2023. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. After the departure of Liverpool assistant John Heitinga for Ajax this summer, Kuyt had been linked with a return to Anfield as Arne Slot's new assistant. However, his agent, Rob Jansen, has dismissed that prospect, although he does feel that Kuyt would love the opportunity if it did arise. 'No, it will be a different assistant coach. That would have been great for him,' Jansen told podcast KieftJansenEgmondGijp, via Voetbal Primeur. 'The assistant of Liverpool will be someone else. It would have been great for Dirk. 'He would have loved to go to Liverpool. Assistant there is of course a serious level.' Kuyt took Beerschot into the Belgian top flight in his first season in charge but things did not go well in the most recent campaign and relegation followed. Reports in the Belgian media suggest Kuyt is likely to lose his job after a return to the Challenger Pro League. Kuyt said earlier this year that Slot has already offered him the chance to be his assistant in the past. Speaking to That Peter Crouch Podcast, he said of Slot: 'I know him very well. I had the opportunity when I retired from football to become his assistant at AZ. 'I didn't choose to become his assistant which I regret of course now! But when he was at Feyenoord he gave me the opportunity to work a week alongside him to see how he's training and preparing for a game, so that was really interesting and of course I follow him very closely.' Slot will name a new assistant this summer, but who it will be is yet to become clear. More Trending The Liverpool Echo has touted the possibilities of Marino Pusic, who was Slot's assistant in previous roles at AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord. The Bosnian left his role as manager of Shakhtar Donetsk in May, so is available. Current Feyenoord assistant Etienne Reijnen has also been noted as a possibility as he was linked last year but could not move to Liverpool due to problems with his work permit. MORE: Son Heung-min casts doubt over Tottenham future with response to Spurs exit link MORE: Chelsea submit new offer for Jamie Gittens as Borussia Dortmund respond MORE: Leroy Sane sends message to Bayern Munich over Arsenal transfer
