Ajax says goodbye to Heitinga: ten possible successors in a row

- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img

Ajax says goodbye to Heitinga: ten possible successors in a row

Ajax is not going into the new season with John Heitinga. Technical director Sven Mislintat delivered that message to the 39-year-old coach on Thursday. Who can succeed Heitinga in Amsterdam? VoetbalPrimeur lists ten candidates.

Heitinga’s time as head coach is limited to four months. The former defender stepped in as an interim trainer in January, after Alfred Schreuder was fired. A little later Ajax stopped the search for a successor and Heitinga got the confidence to finish the season. Yet he has not convinced enough and the Amsterdammers, led by Mislintat, start the search again.

Peter Bosz (clubless)
Internally, Bosz, who was also at the helm of Ajax in the 2016/2017 season, was not seen as a suitable candidate to stand for the group from next season. Perhaps the departure of general manager Edwin van der Sar, who did not get on very well with Bosz, has brought about change. According to various sources, Bosz is back in the picture at Ajax.

It is clear that PSV is also thinking of the Apeldoorner. Ajax fans applaud Bosz’s return. Perhaps it will convince the 59-year-old coach, who is currently without a club, to opt for the team from Amsterdam.

Ron Jans (FC Twente)
“Ajax must have a more experienced trainer for the group,” says Mislintat about Heitinga’s departure. Jans is such an experienced trainer. The 64-year-old coach will leave FC Twente after this season and has said he will take it easy. Should Ajax report to Jans, can the trainer resist the call and say no? It is the chance for Jans to win a national title one day.

Jans stands for attractive football, which is an advantage for a potential person with ultimate responsibility at Ajax. At Twente he has proven to be able to forge a close-knit collective.

Marcelo Gallardo (clubless)
Gallardo chained the successes together at River Plate, where he won no less than fourteen prizes in eight years. The 47-year-old Argentinian left to go for his chance in Europe. In January he turned down a proposal from Ajax, but since then he has only been mentioned at Leeds. Perhaps he now sees the team from Amsterdam as the ideal opportunity to get his career off the ground in Europe.

Gallardo is known as a tactician, who is not afraid to switch formations even during matches. He does, however, reportedly require a hefty salary and Leeds snapped at him because he wanted to bring a small army of assistants with him.

Kasper Hjulmand (Denmark)
Hjulmand is already emphatically associated with Ajax. The team from Amsterdam would look at the Scandinavian market and have their eye on the national coach of Denmark, who still has a one-year contract with the Danish federation. “It is well deserved that Kasper is popular with Ajax according to the Dutch media,” said Peter Møller, director of the Danish Football Association, this week.

With compatriot Kenneth Perez, Hjulmand has been a warm advocate in the Netherlands for some time now. The 51-year-old national coach is also loved by the Danish players, with whom he reached the semi-finals at the European Championship 2021 after Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest. The World Cup in Qatar, on the other hand, turned out to be a disappointment. Hjulmand is popular among the Ajax supporters. This is partly because he is an outspoken supporter of the Cruijff philosophy.

Jesse Marsch (clubless)
Marsch’s blazon has suffered some dents in recent years because he was quickly fired at Leeds United and RB Leipzig. The 49-year-old American ended up at the latter club after he had worked his way up within the Red Bull empire. He was especially successful at Red Bull Salzburg with two doubles in a row.

Despite lesser periods at Leipzig and Leeds, Marsch is not considered a protégé of Ralf Rangnick for nothing, who was immediately impressed after their first acquaintance. The American uses, often from a 4-2-3-1, the typical Red Bull game with a lot of pressing.

Lucien Favre (clubless)
Favre has earned his stripes in football. The 65-year-old Swiss successively worked for clubs such as Hertha BSC, Borussia Mönchengladbach, OGC Nice and Borussia Dortmund. At all those clubs he opted for a dynamic, attacking style of play. During his career he also earned the nickname ‘The Brain’ because of his tactical knowledge.

At the same time, it is striking that Favre rarely lasts more than two seasons at a club. Dortmund, for example, put him aside because of the inconsistent performance.

Adi Hütter (clubless)
Hütter has also made a name for itself so far in the Bundesliga. The Austrian coach was given a chance by Eintracht Frankfurt after leading Young Boys Bern to their first league title in 32 years in 2018. Hütter also got their hands together at Frankfurt, but the step to Borussia Mönchengladbach turned out to be less successful. He is without a club after his departure in 2022.

The 53-year-old Hütter wants to press fanatically, is tactically flexible and has proven that he can develop players. Ajax will have to be quick, because he is emphatically associated with Crystal Palace.

Ralph Hasenhüttl (clubless)
Hasenhüttl is also an Austrian who, like compatriot Hütter and Marsch, has worked in the Red Bull school. Hasenhüttl kept FC Ingolstadt for the Bundesliga in 2016, after which Leipzig, who had just been promoted, picked him up. He led Die Roten Bullen directly to second place in their debut season at the highest level. The following year, Leipzig finished sixth.

Hasenhüttl then made way for Nagelsmann, after which he was at the helm of Southampton for almost four years. The Austrian is a well-known supporter of the so-called Gegenpressing philosophy. It is not for nothing that he is known as the ‘Alpine Klopp’.

Ange Postecoglou (Celtic)
Rangers FC broke Celtic’s hegemony in Scotland in 2021 and so the green-white part of Glasgow changed course. The choice surprisingly fell on the Australian Postecoglou, but the club did not regret that decision for a second. Celtic were crowned champions again in 2022 and 2023.

Postecoglou, who previously was Australia’s national team coach, is praised for his attractive, attacking style of play. His success would also have been noticed in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur, which fell flat with Feyenoord coach Arne Slot, has reportedly planned talks with Postecoglou.

Kjetil Knutsen (FK Bodø/Glimt)
Last but not least: Knutsen was perhaps the most unknown name in this list until recently. In recent weeks, the 54-year-old coach has been linked to Ajax and, according to a number of scouts, talks are already taking place this week. Nevertheless, Bodø/Glimt grew into a top club in their own country under the leadership of the Norwegian. Knutsen led the team to its first two national titles in history in 2020 and 2021. PSV also met Bodø this season in the Europa League (1-1 and 2-1 win).

Knutsen has a modern, dynamic football vision. His biggest shortcoming is his lack of experience, which is exactly what Mislintat is looking for. He never worked outside Norway and Bodö/Glimt is his first success story.

Which of these trainers is the most suitable? Or do you have another name? Join the discussion in the comments!

Unibet

Welcome Bonus: up to €60 Free Bets + 20% Profit Boosts!

- Advertisement -spot_imgspot_img
Latest news
- Advertisement -spot_img
Related news
- Advertisement -spot_img