Liverpool are set to appoint former Everton defender John Heitinga to their coaching staff as part of Arne Slot’s restructuring at Anfield, according to Liverpool Echo.
Heitinga confirmed earlier this month that discussions were underway with the club, and now the ex-Blues centre-back is poised to join to strengthen the team under new head coach Slot.
The former Netherlands international Heitinga, who also had stints with Atletico Madrid and Fulham, previously worked in the youth setup at Ajax’s esteemed academy and most recently served as David Moyes’s assistant at West Ham United.
The report claims that the move to Liverpool is nearing completion.
Heitinga, who made 140 appearances for Everton before moving to Fulham, began his career at Ajax.
He earned nearly 90 caps for the Netherlands and was part of the squad that reached the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa, where they lost to Spain.
After retiring in 2016, he started his coaching career at Ajax’s academy, coaching the Under-19 side for four years before managing Ajax Jong, the club’s reserve team.
In January 2023, Heitinga, a UEFA Pro Licence holder, took on the role of interim head coach at the John Cruyff ArenA after Alfred Schreuder’s departure, guiding the team to 11 wins in their final 16 matches.
Heitinga’s recruitment by Slot is part of a broader overhaul behind the scenes at Liverpool.
Slot, who joined from Feyenoord in June, brought in assistant boss Sipe Hulshoff and appointed Ruben Peeters as head of performance.
Fabian Otte has been named the new head of goalkeeping, succeeding long-serving John Achterberg.
Earlier this month, it was announced that Aaron Briggs will take on the role of Liverpool’s first-team individual development coach moving forward.
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