Former Tottenham Hotspur assistant manager John Heitinga was asked to stay by the club following Thomas Frank‘s sacking, but chose to leave after just 32 days in north London, his agent has revealed.
The ex-Everton player, who previously assisted Arne Slot at Liverpool, was announced as a new addition to the Danish head coach’s staff in January amid a turgid run of results.
When Frank was given his marching orders earlier this month, Heitinga followed him out of the door.
But Rob Jansen, who represents the former professional, was adamant that Spurs had wanted Heitinga to stay on and support newly appointed interim boss Igor Tudor – but that his client had been less than willing.
‘He was allowed to stay,’ Jansen shared on the podcast he shares with journalist Michel Van Egmond and former Dutch footballers Wim Kieft and Rene van der Gijp (via Sport Witness). ‘They even asked him to stay.
‘All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left. And after three weeks, they told him: “Please stay and see out your contract here.” That’s quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.
John Heitinga left Tottenham of his own volition rather than being sacked, his agent has shared
‘But he said: ‘Yes, but now Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, is coming with a whole staff for three or four months’. That man is always hired for emergency jobs.
‘That almost never works. Why they did that is a mystery to me. And then another coach will come in. So, you can leave twice. That new coach will also come in with 45 people. He said, “This is pointless, Rob. I have to leave now”.’
In the days between Frank being sacked and Tudor’s appointment, Jansen added that Heitinga, who has previously held the top job at Ajax, was considering taking up the interim role himself.
‘But there was a chance he would take over; we had that in mind. Only: the club didn’t,’ he continued. ‘After three weeks, they decided it was too soon.
‘So, then you have an interim manager. What does the management do, or in this case, the owners, the Lewis family?
‘They opt for some kind of security. They hire someone with a track record, someone known as a crisis manager at struggling clubs for a few months. That saves their image. Unless they dare to continue with Heitinga and a new staff, but they won’t.’
Jansen hinted that with his departure, Heitinga had at least managed to net himself a good-looking payout, adding cheekily: ‘I’m always good at drawing up contracts in advance, as you know.’
Former Juventus manager Tudor has been accompanied to London by an all-new team, comprised of assistant coach Ivan Javorcic, physical coach Riccardo Ragnacci and goalkeeping coach Tomislav Rogic.
He was duly handed the first match of his Tottenham career from hell as Spurs lost 4-1 to Arsenal for a second time this season in the north London derby.