Etienne Reijnen worked with Arne Slot at Feyenoord and has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool
John de Wolf, Etienne Reijnen, Robin Van Persie and Rene Hake on the Feyenoord bench
John de Wolf, Etienne Reijnen, Robin Van Persie and Rene Hake on the Feyenoord bench(Image: (Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images))
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Feyenoord boss Robin van Persie has admitted the prospect of losing assistant coach Etienne Reijnen to Liverpool is out of his hands. The ECHO reported last week that Reijnen, currently completing his coaching diplomas in Holland, could move to Anfield this summer.
It is understood that Reijnen is an option as Arne Slot continues to evolve his coaching staff, which has already seen a number of changes since his initial appointment as head coach in the summer of 2024. And when asked about Reijnen moving to Liverpool, Van Persie said: “It is mainly up to the club and Etienne himself.
“What I can say is that I am very happy with his work. He is a fantastic person who also fulfills his role very well.”
Reijnen is well known to the Liverpool boss, having worked with him at Feyenoord, and only work permit issues prevented him moving to Anfield with Slot two years ago.
And while Reijnen has been linked with Liverpool, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been linked with a move in the opposite direction.
Van Bronckhorst, like Slot, is a former Feyenoord manager and also had spells in charge of Chinese outfit Guangzhou as well as Rangers and Besiktas.
He joined the Reds as assistant manager to Slot in the summer following John Heitinga’s departure to Ajax.
Arne Slot, Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst during Liverpool's Champions League defeat to PSV at Anfield
Arne Slot, Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst during Liverpool's Champions League defeat to PSV at Anfield(Image: (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images))
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The former Netherlands international won 109 of the 176 Feyenoord matches he took charge of and led the club to the Eredivisie title in 2017.
And although Van Bronckhorst admitted he is enjoying life at Liverpool in March, he didn’t rule out making a return to the Stadion Feijenoord in the future.
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“I’m having a great time at Liverpool,” he told 1908.nl. “It is a fantastic club. We’ll see what the future brings.
"Feyenoord will always remain special and connected to me, but right now I am simply enjoying what I do in England and for the Foundation, and that is very diverse.”
And when asked directly about a return to Feyenoord, the former Arsenal man replied: “Who knows what the future holds.”
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