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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Ajax appoint Heitinga as new coach
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Newcastle United - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - February 26, 2025 Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Ajax Amsterdam have named John Heitinga as their new coach, with the former Netherlands defender signing a two-year deal, the Eredivisie club confirmed on Saturday. Heitinga, who grew up in the club's youth ranks and was part of Ajax's senior squad for seven and a half seasons, was one of Arne Slot's assistants at Liverpool in their Premier League-winning season. Former club manager Marcel Keizer will serve as Heitinga's assistant and has signed a contract of the same duration, Ajax added. "John knows the club well," Technical Director Alex Kroes told the club website. "We are convinced that he, together with Marcel, will help improve our players and build on the progress made since last summer in terms of, for example, elite sporting culture and discipline." Heitinga replaces Italian Francesco Farioli, who resigned earlier this month after a year in charge. Record 36-time champions Ajax finished the season second after blowing a nine-point lead as they were pipped to the league title by PSV Eindhoven on the final day. Ajax last won the league in 2021-22. "It's good that it's decided early on in the summer break that they will be in charge from the end of June. (We) can now continue working with John and the other parties involved on the squad composition for the coming season," Kroes added. Former Atletico Madrid and Everton defender Heitinga coached youth and reserve teams at Ajax after he retired from playing, following his return to Ajax, in 2016. He was also briefly appointed as acting coach of Ajax in 2023 after the firing of Alfred Schreuder. Heitinga, who won 87 caps for the Netherlands, was then David Moyes's assistant at West Ham United before taking on the same role at Liverpool. "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." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool ANNOUNCE Frimpong, Bayern ‘confident of Wirtz', Diaz ‘wanted by Saudis'
THE thrills and spills of the summer transfer window are upon us with some huge deals in the pipeline. Liverpool have officially completed their first signing this summer as they Advertisement Meanhwhile, Bayern Munich are reportedly still confident of completing a deal for In other news, Liverpool winger Plus, we have updates on where Cristiano Ronaldo will end up after confirming his departure from Saudi side Al-Nassr. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Advertisement Follow ALL the latest news, moves and completed deals with our live blog below... By Liverpool announce Frimpong Dutch attacking right-back Jeremie Frimpong has officially joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen. After Trent Alexander-Arnold's transfer to Real Madrid was formally completed on Friday, Frimpong joins the Reds. The fee is expected to be around €35 million (£29.5 million) - which is the release clause cited from Leverkusen. Copy link Copied By Heitinga set for Ajax mangerial hot seat More Dutch managerial movement.... According to many Dutch media outlets, Ajax has agreed to hire John Heitinga as their new coach and former club coach Marcel Keizer as his assistant. Heitinga, 41, is leaving Liverpool, where he assisted Arne Slot throughout their Premier League-winning campaign. His predecessor, Italian Francesco Farioli, resigned earlier this month after Ajax squandered a nine-point lead and lost to PSV Eindhoven in the league title. Heitinga will sign a two-year deal, according to reports from all major Dutch media publications. Copy link Copied By Ten Hag reunion New Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag is targeting two of his old Manchester United players. Ten Hag took the reins at Leverkusen earlier this week, in what is his first job since being sacked by United in October. And as the Dutch tactician prepares to succeed Xabi Alonso, who is joining Real Madrid, he is said to be looking to bolster his squad's firepower with two new arrivals. According to Copy link Copied By Viktor Gyokeres hijack? Chelsea are ready to hijack Arsenal's transfer pursuit of Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres. The Gunners had reportedly submitted a formal offer in the region of £62million to land the Gyokeres. However, a fresh report from The Blues are said to have submitted a formal enquiry about buying the Sweden international. Copy link Copied By Martin Zubimendi details Martin Zubimendi will complete a medical in the coming days ahead of his £51m switch to Arsenal. The Real Sociedad midfielder has been in advanced talks with the Gunners since January and is on the verge of becoming Mikel Arteta's first capture of the summer. Personal terms and relevant documents have already been signed and agreed, as well as the payment structure around the Spaniard's £51m release clause. Senior Arsenal figures expect the deal to be completed swiftly as they also target landing a striker – with Sporting Lisbon's £60m-valued Viktor Gyokeres a top priority. Once Zubmendi, 26, passes his medical, he will be announced as an Arsenal player. He will provide depth to a midfield that has already lost veteran Jorginho, who is heading to Brazilian outfit Flamengo on a free transfer with his Emirates deal expiring next month. Thomas Partey is also out of contract, but the club are in talks to extend his stay after an impressive campaign, while Albert Sambi Lokonga – who spent last season on loan at Sevilla – will see a one-year extension triggered on his contract. Copy link Copied By Maguire confirms firesale Manchester United ace Harry Maguire admits he expects a lot of players to leave Old Trafford this summer. We will make a lot of changes in the summer at the club. There will be a lot of players who leave and hopefully a lot of players will come in. And that's down to the club to make sure they get that right and it's down to us players to make sure that we are the ones that are involved. Harry Maguire Copy link Copied By Florian Wirtz update Liverpool have submitted an offer to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz. According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, the Reds' bid is worth a Premier League record €130million (£109m). This is an improved second bid comprised of a fixed fee and potential add-ons. Wirtz is keen to move to Anfield ahead of next season. Copy link Copied By More on Delap Chelsea are closing in on Ipswich Town star Liam Delap in a major blow for Manchester United. SunSport revealed exclusively on May 14 that the Blues were growing increasingly confident they could beat United to the £30million forward. A deal could be announced as early as next week as Chelsea look to build on a strong finish to the season. They won the Conference League on Wednesday just three days after securing a top four Premier League slot and qualifying for next season's Champions League. Delap, 22, scored 12 goals despite getting relegated with Town. He has a £30m release clause in his contract and is keen to join boss Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United were interested but their lack of European football next season works against them. Copy link Copied By Arsenal offered Sesko RB Leipzig would love to sell star player Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal next week. The Bundesliga club have told the Slovenian forward, 21, they are looking for a quick sale so they can start spending the cash at the start of the transfer window. But the situation is complicated because Arsenal are looking at Sesko and Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres and are extremely unlikely to sign both as they also need to strengthen elsewhere. Arsenal could even prioritise trying to sign in-demand £70million rated Gyokeres, meaning Mikel Arteta's search for a new striker could turn into a saga and Sesko might have to wait. Gunners boss Arteta wanted to sign Sesko both last summer and in January. Leipzig know the north London club remain interested but there have been no further talks. Leipzig did speak with Sesko this week and told him he can leave as soon as possible. But the German club are hoping for £85m, although they are likely to get nearer £60m. Copy link Copied By Trent release clause Real Madrid have placed an astronomical release clause in Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold's contract. Alexander-Arnold is joining Real following a £10million deal with Liverpool that allows the player to leave before his contract runs out on June 30, in time for the Club World Cup. According to Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, Los Blancos have installed an asking price worth a staggering €1billion on the full-back's six-year deal. Madrid want the England international to finish his career at the Santiago Bernabeu. Copy link Copied By Cristiano Ronaldo latest Al-Nassr are confident they can keep Cristiano Ronaldo just days after the Manchester United legend indicated he would leave the club. Ronaldo declared earlier this week his "chapter is over" in Saudi Arabia. Speculation had already begun on the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's next destination with him seemingly in no mood to retire. But Al-Nassr sporting director Fernando Hierro believes he can change the 40-year-old's mind and get him to pen a new deal. I have to be positive. I don't think Ronaldo will leave Al-Nassr. In any case, we are working hard on all aspects. Ronaldo's contract with Al-Nassr runs until the end of June 30. We will work to renew his contract so he can continue with us, and there are many clubs interested in signing him. He is a huge phenomenon in the history of football and has helped the league grow. We are in contact to renew his contract and hope he continues with us. Fernando Hierro Copy link Copied By Real announce Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool rake in millions Liverpool have agreed to let Trent Alexander-Arnold join Real Madrid early in a deal worth £10m. The England right-back is set to join the 15-time Kings of Europe for free on June 30 - but LaLiga giants wanted him for the Club World Cup. The expanded Club World Cup begins 16 days before Alexander-Arnold's contract expires. And Madrid have since agreed to pay millions for Anfield chiefs to release the 26-year-old a few weeks early. Carlo Ancelotti's replacement Xabi Alonso wanted Fifa has created a special transfer window from June 1 to June 10 specifically for the Club World Cup. Copy link Copied By Diaz targeted by Saudis Liverpool star Luis Diaz is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia ahead of the summer transfer window. According to There has been no approach so far by the Saudi giants but their interest in the winger is longstanding. And the Saudi Pro League outfit see the Colombia international as a potential replacement for the departing Cristiano Ronaldo. Copy link Copied By Chelsea 'to pay Delap release clause' Ipswich Town star Liam Delap could soon be confirmed as Chelsea's first major summer signing. Delap has been linked to a string of major clubs, including Manchester United. But the Blues have reportedly agreed to pay the striker's release clause. And it's understood the England Under-21 international now just needs to agree personal terms. Copy link Copied By Bayern still chase Wirtz German giants Bayern Munich are still confident of signing Bayern Leverkusen attacker Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool for a British record fee of £126m. Real Madrid have also been interested in Wirtz in recent days, with his former manager Xabi Alonso taking the reins at Los Blancos. Credit: Getty Copy link Copied By Mainoo disunited? Ruben Amorim might need to sell before he can revamp his Manchester United squad with newcomers. And it's claimed midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, is one of the vulnerable Red Devils. Football Insider reckon the Old Trafford academy product could be sold if an offer of around £70million came in. Mainoo already has 10 England caps. But it's suggested his style doesn't suit manager Amorim's system. Copy link Copied By Napoli favourites for David despite Prem interest Regular Prem target Jonathan David is again at the centre of a transfer scramble. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Newcastle and West Ham have all been linked with the Lille striker in recent weeks. Credit: AFP The Canadian, 25, has confirmed he'll be leaving his Ligue 1 club on a free transfer this summer. Inter Milan and Juventus have been mentioned over possible moves for the pacy attacker. But it's claimed Napoli are now the clear frontrunners. The newly-crowned Italian champions are reportedly in talks with David and confident of agreeing a deal soon. Copy link Copied By Blues edge closer to permanent Jadon deal Chelsea have asked Jadon Sancho to agree to a new contract before completing a £25million transfer, according to reports. The England international, 25, spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Stamford Bridge from Old Trafford. Chelsea have a £25m obligation to buy Sancho in the summer transfer window. However, they do have a £5m penalty clause to break out of the deal and escape the obligation. Now Chelsea most likely want Sancho to stay in West London. However, Sky claim they will only sign him if he agrees to fit into the wage structure at the club. Sancho earns a whopping £350,000 per week at United, where he has one year left on his current deal. But part of the Todd Boehly regime is signing players on relatively low wages. Star-man Cole Palmer is on £130,000 per week. Copy link Copied By Arsenal hold 'concrete' talks over Benjamin Arsenal are negotiating to sign top Prem target Benjamin Sesko. So says transfer guru Fabrizio Romano as the Gunners prioritise recruiting a world class striker this summer. Romano reckons the Gunners have held 'concrete talks' with RB Leipzig over the 21-year-old Slovenian. Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Copy link Copied By Ademola eyed Atalanta's Ademola Lookman has reportedly been offered to Arsenal. Lookman has been a revelation in Italy, amassing 20 goals and seven assists in 40 appearances this season. According to GiveMeSport, the Gunners have been notified of his availability. However, the Gunners are also looking at other wide targets, such as Newcastle's Anthony Gordon Real Madrid's Rodrygo and especially Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams. Copy link Copied By One Ek of a transfer fight Liverpool have entered the hunt for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike. The £84million-rated Frenchman, 22, has been linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. But it's claimed new Prem champs Liverpool are now in pole position. The Reds have reportedly launched negotiations for Ekitike. Copy link Copied By Man City plan huge spree Manchester City have warned Prem rivals they plan to build their greatest trophy-winning team. After a first season without a major domestic trophy since 2016-17, chairman In his address to supporters, the City chief also: Revealed the club messed up by not being 'aggressive' enough in last summer's transfer market Conceded it led to the most 'challenging' campaign since their big-money 2008 takeover at City Promised a mega spending spree from next week to boost their Club World Cup bid Insisted his bond of 'trust' with boss Pep Guardiola means this season is a one-off blip. Guardiola lifted 15 trophies before this season's duck. But Khaldoon declared: 'We will be back and the aim is to build something even better. Erling is the most prolific striker in the world." He admitted: "Last summer, we probably should have been more aggressive in some changes we needed to do. 'We didn't do that and it ended up costing us. We already started that team rebuild in January.' City spent £172million in the winter window on forward from Frankfurt — plus defenders and and Porto midfielder . And that will NOT be the end of their spending as Khaldoon said: 'We've identified who are the targets, in what positions, and have clear No 1 and No 2 options. 'We'll go about our business and it will be very clear, very swift. 'Our objective is to be ready with the new squad for the Copy link Copied By Prem rivals hover as 'Liverpool value Kelleher at £20m' At least three Premier League clubs have been linked with Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher. It's claimed Reds boss Arne Slot expects the Irishman to leave this summer. Liverpool reportedly value the 26-year-old at £20million-plus. And so far Brentford are the club most strongly linked with Kelleher. West Ham and newly-promoted Leeds have also been mentioned. Copy link Copied By New Trafford for United? Burnley's James Trafford is rated a shock candidate if Manchester United decide to replace keeper Andre Onana. Trafford impressed with Burnley this season with Scott Parker labelling him 'world-class'. He kept 29 clean sheets in 45 games last term, winning the Championship golden glove. Chelsea star Cole Palmer memorably called him 'the best' during England's under-21s Euros glory. Copy link Copied By Striker continues amazing rise with new move Braintree striker Kyrell Lisbie has continued his remarkable surge up the footballing ladder by joining Peterborough. Lisbie, 21, sprung to fame with eighth-tier Cray Valley Paper Mills in their FA Cup run two seasons ago. Newly-promoted National League side Braintree pounced last summer, with the pacy star notching 13 goals for the strugglers. Now Lisbie has risen two more levels to join League One Posh. Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson said: "Kyrell is a player that we have kept an eye on for the last few months. "We have had some very impressive reports on him as well and we are pleased to get the deal done. "He can play in different positions along the front line so that gives us good flexibility and I am looking forward to working with him." Copy link Copied 1
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Heitinga to be named new coach of Ajax, says Dutch media
Heitinga to be named new coach of Ajax, says Dutch media AMSTERDAM - Ajax Amsterdam have reached agreement with John Heitinga to take over as new coach, with former club coach Marcel Keizer to serve as his assistant, several Dutch media reported on Friday. The 41-year-old Heitinga moves from Liverpool, where he was one of Arne Slot's assistants in their Premier League-winning season. He will sign a two-year contract, reports across all major Dutch media outlets added, replacing the Italian Francesco Farioli, who resigned earlier this month after Ajax blew a nine-point lead and were pipped to the league title by PSV Eindhoven. There has been no announcement yet from Ajax. Heitinga, who won 87 caps for the Netherlands, worked previously as an assistant to then Jong Ajax coach Keizer in the 2016-17 season. The club's reserves compete in the Dutch second division and were second that season but were not allowed promotion. Heitinga was also acting coach of Ajax from January to June 2023 after the firing of Alfred Schreuder and took them to a third-place finish, as well as the Dutch Cup final, where they lost to PSV on penalties. However, he was not offered the post permanently after that. Keizer was promoted to Ajax coach in mid-2017 but dismissed after five months in charge and replaced by Erik ten Hag, who went on to have a successful run in charge of the Amsterdam side. Ten Hag had been a candidate to return to Ajax for next season but chose to take up an offer from Bayer Leverkusen instead. Heitinga came through the Ajax youth ranks as a player and won two league titles in his eight years in the first team, before going on to play for Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham and Hertha BSC. He returned to Ajax in 2015 but soon retired after an assortment of injuries. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Heitinga to be named new coach of Ajax, says Dutch media
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Southampton - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - March 8, 2025 Liverpool assistant manager Johnny Heitinga looks on REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Ajax Amsterdam have reached agreement with John Heitinga to take over as new coach, with former club coach Marcel Keizer to serve as his assistant, several Dutch media reported on Friday. The 41-year-old Heitinga moves from Liverpool, where he was one of Arne Slot's assistants in their Premier League-winning season. He will sign a two-year contract, reports across all major Dutch media outlets added, replacing the Italian Francesco Farioli, who resigned earlier this month after Ajax blew a nine-point lead and were pipped to the league title by PSV Eindhoven. There has been no announcementyet from Ajax. Heitinga, who won 87 caps for the Netherlands, worked previously as an assistant to then Jong Ajax coach Keizer in the 2016-17 season. The club's reserves compete in the Dutch second division and were second that season but were not allowed promotion. Heitinga was also acting coach of Ajax from January to June 2023 after the firing of Alfred Schreuder and took them to a third-place finish, as well as the Dutch Cup final, where they lost to PSV on penalties. However, he was not offered the post permanently after that. Keizer was promoted to Ajax coach in mid-2017 but dismissed after five months in charge and replaced by Erik ten Hag, who went on to have a successful run in charge of the Amsterdam side. Ten Hag had been a candidate to return to Ajax for next season but chose to take up an offer from Bayer Leverkusen instead. Heitinga came through the Ajax youth ranks as a player and won two league titles in his eight years in the first team, before going on to play for Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham and Hertha BSC. He returned to Ajax in 2015 but soon retired after an assortment of injuries. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cairo; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool face huge hurdle to seal next big transfer in Arne Slot's masterplan
Liverpool want to sign a top striker to supplement Arne Slot's Premier League-winning squad this summer but a deal for one of their targets could prove to be beyond them Liverpool have a garnered reputation for being shrewd operators in the transfer market in recent years, and the fact they are closing in on three huge deals just days after lifting the Premier League title is testament to that. But with their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike, Arne Slot, Richard Hughes and Co may have met their match in the form of Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitike, 22, has no shortage of suitors among Europe in the wake of his best-ever season after breaking the 20-goal barrier for the first time. Chelsea, for example, are also sweet on the idea of luring Ekitike to the Premier League. Doing so is likely to be easier said than done, though. That's because Frankfurt have a reputation of their own these days after negotiating top dollar for some of Europe's most exciting attackers after watching them catch light with the Bundesliga outfit. And that could pose a problem for Liverpool, who are already beginning to spin quite a few plates. With a deal for Jeremie Frimpong all but wrapped up, the Reds are poised to make a move for Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez. Add to that the small matter of a potential club record deal for Florian Wirtz, who is valued at a monstrous £126million, and all of a sudden the prospect of Liverpool financing another gargantuan transfer - with Ekitike valued at £84m - feels slim. Frankfurt have already shown they are not afraid to hold big clubs to ransom; Liverpool need look no further than their domestic rivals, Manchester City, for evidence of that. They had to pay £65m to extract Omar Marmoush from Germany in January to try and salvage their season, although the Egypt international is already looking like a shrewd investment after plundering seven goals in 16 Premier League matches. Randal Kolo Muani was sold off just 18 months earlier, this time for £76.4m, if you required further proof that the Marmoush negotiations were no one off. The club's sporting director, Markus Krosche, is at the heart of an astute operation. One major factor behind Frankfurt's success is their refusal to include any release clauses in contracts, something Krosche explained last summer in an interview with Kicker. "The contract constellations are such that we always have a say," he said after referencing the club's preference for long contracts and the 'age structure' of their squad. Liverpool headed into the summer off the back off their title win in need of a new No.9. Darwin Nunez, among others, will likely be sacrificed to accumulate further funds as the newly minted Premier League champions bid to carry out their ambitious plans. Ekitike, like Wirtz, would be a major coup given he is widely regarded as one of the Bundesliga's brightest young stars. The fact other clubs are aware of that too has the potential to give Liverpool a headache - but the fact Frankfurt know it too could prove to be biggest issue of all. "He's one of the most interesting strikers on the European market. Hugo has to decide that," Krosche said of Ekitike to Sport 1. "I'm glad we have him. If he decides otherwise, that's our motto: If a player develops faster than us, we let him go."
