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With new assistant coach John Heitinga joining the Liverpool staff this summer and travelling for pre-season, Arne Slot has explained the decision to hire him.
Heitinga was a late addition to Slot’s new backroom staff, arriving after the start of pre-season and now travelling with the Reds to the US.
The Dutchman comes with considerable experience as both a player and a coach, having represented Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham and Hertha Berlin during his playing career before holding jobs at Ajax and West Ham.
Similar, too, is the appointment of first-team individual development coach Aaron Briggs, whose CV includes a number of roles with Man City.
And asked in his press conference ahead of the friendly against Real Betis in Pittsburgh what they would bring to the club, Slot replied: “Premier League experience.
“Both of them have worked in the Premier League – John more recent than Aaron – and both of them of course have their own role in our staff.
“I think I said before that Aaron is also the one that’s going to bridge the gap between the youth academy and the first team.
“He has an analyst background, so that’s a positive thing.
“John has played many games in the Premier League and last season he was an assistant coach at West Ham, so brings experience as a player, but also as an assistant in this league.
“He worked with someone that I know really well, and the two of us have quite a similar playing style, so I think it’s not going to take long for him to understand exactly what we want with the players.”
Heitinga played 140 games for Everton over five years before a short spell at Fulham that saw him feature in 14 more, including 129 appearances in the Premier League.
His coaching experience came with a season assisting David Moyes at West Ham, departing the London club along with his former manager at the end of 2023/24.
While it is easy to scoff at the notion of “Premier League experience” it is certainly valuable with regards to a new coaching setup with little to no previous experience of English football.
Even little details like the tightness of particular stadiums and the relationships with certain clubs’ supporters will be areas Heitinga can alert Slot to.
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