John Heitinga backed despite sack calls – Ajax scouts ‘surprised’ by Liverpool signing

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Ajax have doubled down on their faith in John Heitinga as head coach, though there are claims of internal confusion over one of his signings from Liverpool. Heitinga finds himself under mounting external pressure just months after returning to Ajax.

But Ajax have defied the clamour for a new head coach and instead promoted academy chief Fred Grim to a role as Heitinga’s assistant. John suggested adding Fred Grim,” Ajax technical director Alex Kroes explained on Tuesday.

“We want to further strengthen the staff around the team, with the goal of improving both our sporting results and the development of the game and the individual players.” There could be suspicions of Grim being lined up as an eventual successor to Heitinga if he is moved on – with the 60-year-old already an experienced head coach who was last in charge of FC Emmen in 2023/24. But that he was promoted on Heitinga’s recommendation suggests that Ajax are fully behind their current head coach despite a struggle for consistency.