Liverpool has identified the Dutch coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst as the leading contender to be added to Arne Slot's coaching staff this summer. The former Netherlands international would bring a wealth of experience.
While Slot would not necessarily have been looking to break up a winning formula at Anfield, the departure of John Heitinga has left Liverpool looking for a new recruit. The former Everton player left to pursue a first-team coaching opportunity with Ajax, and the club looks set to remain within the Dutch talent pool.
Van Bronckhorst will be remembered by many for his decorated playing days. He earned 106 caps for the Netherlands between 1996 and 2010, while also turning out for the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona.
He bookended his career as a player at Feyenoord, Slot's former club — where he would go on to serve as head coach from 2015 to 2019. Tapping into those connections, Liverpool is set to get a coach with an impressive amount of managerial experience to his name already.
While plenty of former players take on coaching roles as stepping stones to more senior jobs, Van Bronckhorst is stepping back out of the limelight after a number of stints as a head coach. The latest only came to an end last November, when he was sacked from Besiktas.
That decision came just a few months into his tenure, after a Europa League defeat to Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv — with former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eventually taking his place in January. But Van Bronckhorst has enjoyed more luck elsewhere.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool interacts with Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Manager of Rangers after the UEFA Champions League group A match between Liverpool FC and Rangers FC at Anfield on October 04, 2022 in Liverpool, England.
Mohamed Salah of Liverpool interacts with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in a 2022 Champions League encounter with Rangers. (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
As well as his solid and stable stint at Feyenoord, Van Bronckhorst was the one who guided Rangers to an unlikely Europa League final in 2022, doing his budding reputation no harm whatsoever. Before that, he spent a season in China.
As such, Van Bronckhorst could end up being a valuable addition if Liverpool completes a move. As first reported in The Times, he would be expected to serve a similar function to Heitinga, overseeing individual player-level coaching and acting as a mentor.
Ryan Gravenberch, in particular, has credited Heitinga with bringing out improvements in his game. Slot and his staff have also made positive adjustments to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Van Bronckhorst, of course, knows what it takes to cut it as a player at an elite club. He made over 100 league appearances for Barcelona, while playing over 40 Premier League games for Arsenal from 2001 to 2004.
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His time with Barcelona saw him lift the Champions League in 2005/06. He was also a World Cup runner-up in 2010, his last tournament before retirement.
His appointment would add to a growing Dutch contingent at Liverpool. Many of the backroom team followed Slot from Feyenoord.
Meanwhile, the playing personnel has an increasingly Oranje influence. Jeremie Frimpong became the latest addition to that trend, joining Van Dijk, Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo.
Should the deal be completed, it will be exciting to see what new dynamic Van Bronckhorst brings to the group. It would be a swift and decisive move from Liverpool, after a Heitinga departure it must have only reluctantly sanctioned.