John Heitinga’s Tottenham Pursuit: A Failed Bid for Management

John Heitinga’s brief stint as an assistant coach at Tottenham Hotspur was marked by a hidden ambition: to succeed Thomas Frank as the club’s manager. The former Liverpool coach spent just 33 days at Tottenham before departing following Frank’s dismissal, with his agent revealing a plan that ultimately fell short.

A Short-Lived Opportunity

Heitinga joined Tottenham in mid-January as part of Thomas Frank’s backroom team. However, the situation quickly changed when Frank was relieved of his duties earlier this month. Heitinga was considered for the interim manager role, but Tottenham ultimately appointed Igor Tudor on a short-term deal.

The Ambition to Lead

According to Rob Jansen, Heitinga’s agent, the Dutchman’s arrival at Tottenham wasn’t solely to support Frank. “When he arrived, the suitcase remained closed for a while,” Jansen said on the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast, suggesting Heitinga was prepared to step into the managerial role if the opportunity arose. “But that’s the risk he took. There was a chance, we had in the back of our minds, that he would take over.”

Tottenham’s Hesitation and the Lewis Family’s Influence

Despite initial interest, Tottenham’s management team reportedly hesitated about immediately promoting Heitinga. Jansen explained, “The club didn’t. After three weeks, they thought it was a bit fast. They said ‘well, taking over now seems really fast to us’.” Jansen also criticized the club’s owners, the Lewis family, for opting for a “security” appointment in Igor Tudor, a coach known for taking on short-term roles at struggling clubs.

“Then there’s a break and what does management do then? Or an owner, the Lewis family in this case, who rely on a kind of security because it saves their image?” Jansen stated. “So they hire someone the public thinks ‘yeah, they had to hire him because he has a track record of stepping in at struggling clubs’.”

Departure and Future Prospects

Following Tudor’s appointment and the arrival of his own staff, Heitinga chose to leave Tottenham. He was even offered the chance to remain as part of Tudor’s coaching setup, but declined. “They even requested that he stay [after] all the coaches left,” Jansen revealed. “Which was quite an achievement after three weeks if you function there: ‘Please stay and see out your contract here’.”

However, Heitinga ultimately decided against staying, stating his concerns about Tudor’s short-term appointment and the potential for further coaching changes. “He had two-and-a-half years. Then he thought about it, we talked about it, then he said ‘yes, but now Igor Tudor is coming, he’s a Croatian man with a whole staff’,” Jansen explained. “Yes, for five months, that man is always hired for emergency jobs. Yes, it almost never works. So why they did that is a mystery. And then a new manager comes. So you could go twice, because that new manager also comes with 45 people. So [John is] like: ‘This is pointless, I have to leave now’.”

Heitinga’s future remains uncertain. He previously held the position of head coach at Ajax, but was dismissed after just 15 games. A return to Liverpool appears unlikely at this stage.