Liverpool coach wanted by Championship club – Arne Slot rates him very highly

Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga is attracting interest from manager-less Championship club West Brom – just months after arriving at Anfield.

Heitinga joined the Reds in July as a new addition to Arne Slot‘s staff, with the ex-Everton defender having previously held roles at Ajax and West Ham.

He has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential coaches at the club, regularly leading training sessions and holding one-to-ones with players at the AXA.

That, along with his earlier work including a stint as interim head coach at Ajax, has seen him shortlisted by West Brom following the departure of their head coach Carlos Corberan.

• READ: How John Heitinga has become quietly key for Liverpool

Corberan left West Brom this week to take up the role of Valencia manager – where he will manage incoming Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili for the remainder of the season – leaving the Baggies to search for a replacement.

Heitinga is one of a number of candidates and, according to the Times, West Brom “would face a battle to persuade the 41-year-old to leave mid-season.”

However, it is explained that Heitinga is “keen to move into management when the time is right,” with Slot himself surprised Ajax did not consider him as a permanent option back in 2023.

“That Sven Mislintat did not choose Heitinga as head coach at the time and that he left Ajax for that reason, Liverpool is now profiting from that,” he told Algemeen Dagblad.

“Apparently they did not realise in Amsterdam that they had an excellent coach in-house.”

West Brom currently have former players Boaz Myhill and Chris Brunt in interim charge along with Damia Abella, and the Birmingham Mail‘s Joe Chapman reports that they are “eager to make the right call” and “won’t be rushed” in doing so.

Heitinga (7/2) is currently joint-favourite to take the West Brom job along with former Lazio manager Igor Tudor (7/2), with Mark Robins (6/1), Steven Schumacher (8/1) and Russell Martin (8/1) also in the running.

“I couldn’t have wished for more,” Slot also said of Heitinga’s influence earlier this month.

“If I say talented, I don’t even rate him high enough because he’s more than that already. He’s been a head coach himself, but he’s still young.

“[He] grew into our staff from the start in a very good manner, so has the same idea about football. That’s also why I chose him to come to us as well.

“But the way he is with the boys, just like Sipke [Hulshoff] is, [is] very positive.”