There has been plenty of upheaval at Tottenham Hotspur this week with yet more staff changes being revealed after Igor Tudor’s appointment.
There has been plenty of upheaval at Tottenham Hotspur this week with yet more staff changes being revealed after Igor Tudor’s appointment.
Thomas Frank’s dismissal was the culmination of a grim eight‑month spell in north London, with Tottenham sliding worryingly close to the relegation battle.
Results in the league had fallen off a cliff, with just two wins in 17 games and a toxic atmosphere beginning to build inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With Spurs once again in 16th place and only five points clear of the drop, the board felt they had little choice but to act and end Frank’s tenure far earlier than planned.
Into that chaos stepped Igor Tudor, appointed on a deal until the end of the season and tasked with nothing less than steadying the ship. The former Juventus coach has been brought in to restore organisation and intensity, with his brief described as simply dragging Spurs up the table and away from danger.
And as a result, it seems John Heitinga’s time at Tottenham appears over almost as soon as it started, with the Dutchman following Frank out of the exit door.
The Times’ Gary Jacob has reported that the former Liverpool assistant will now leave Tottenham after just one month:
“John Heitinga has left Tottenham Hotspur after only one month as part of a shake-up of the club’s coaching staff after Thomas Frank was replaced as head coach by Igor Tudor. The Dutchman, who was a first-team assistant coach, has been followed out the door by Justin Cochrane, who has been highly rated and arrived with Frank from Brentford.”
“Heitinga, 42, signed a 2½-year contract with Spurs in January, appearing to be a replacement for Matt Wells, who departed in December to take up a role as head coach at the Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.”
It becomes Heitinga’s third departure from a club in under a year having left Liverpool last May before being relieved of his duties as Ajax head coach in November.
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