Why John Heitinga turned down Tottenham offer after 'mystery' move following Thomas Frank exit | OneFootball

Spurs wanted ex-Liverpool coach to stay following Thomas Frank exit

John Heitinga’s agent has claimed Tottenham wanted him to stay on the coaching staff under Igor Tudor - and revealed why the Dutchman walked away after a whirlwind month in north London.

The former Ajax manager, who was part of Arne Slot's title-winning Liverpool coaching staff, was interested in taking over from Frank.

But he left last week following the appointment of Tudor along with first-team coaches Justin Cochrane and Chris Haslam, who had followed Frank from Brentford.

John Heitinga left Spurs following the appointment of Igor Tudor

Nick Potts/PA Wire

Heitinga’s agent Rob Jansen claims Spurs wanted him to work on Tudor’s coaching staff and explained why he left.

Speaking on a podcast in the Netherlands, Jansen said: “He was allowed to stay. 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,” he said.

“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’.”

Jansen claims Heitinga’s initial plan was to take over from Frank.

“There was a chance he would take over; we had that in mind,” he said. “Only: the club didn’t. 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.”