Image Credits: Imago Images
Feyenoord have officially announced their replacement for Robin van Persie who left at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Van Persie’s first full season in charge yielded a second-place finish and a return to the UEFA Champions League. Across the season, Feyenoord endured lengthy dips in form while finishing a massive 19 points adrift of runaway champions PSV Eindhoven.
There was also criticism of Van Persie’s man-management. It ultimately led the club’s new hierarchy to act. After a post-season review, Feyenoord sacked the 42-year-old despite one year remaining on his contract.
The Eredivisie side have now announced former player and manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst as their new manager after he left Liverpool alongside Arne Slot.
The former Dutch international previously managed Feyenoord. During his first stint at the helm between 2015 and 2019, van Bronckhorst led Feyenoord to Eredivisie glory in the 2016–17 campaign.
He also delivered back-to-back KNVB Cup victories in 2016 and 2018, along with two Johan Cruijff Shield triumphs in 2017 and 2018.
A Feyenoord statement read:
“Feyenoord has reached an agreement with Giovanni van Bronckhorst on his appointment as head coach of the first team. The 51-year-old Rotterdam native has signed a two-year contract, with an option for the club to extend it by a further year.”
The Rotterdam outfit have also confirmed that former Arne Slot assistant Sipke Hulshoff has joined the club as van Bronckhorst’s assistant after also leaving as part of Arne Slot’s exit this month.
Hulshoff has likewise penned a two-year deal with a one-year option from the club. The 51-year-old has previously worked for the club’s academy and with Slot during his tenure at De Kuip.
Feyenoord Technical Director Dévy Rigaux said of the appointment: “The return of Giovanni van Bronckhorst marks a new chapter for Feyenoord.”
“We want to continue building on our sporting ambitions with a head coach who combines extensive international experience with a deep understanding of the club’s culture.”
“I have followed Giovanni’s career with great interest for many years. He is an outstanding coach and a strong personality. His broad experience, combined with his Feyenoord DNA and the hunger for new success that Robert Eenhoorn and I sensed during our conversations with him, give us great confidence that he can help take the club forward once again.”
He added on Hulshoff: “The partnership between Van Bronckhorst and Hulshoff, which was further developed and strengthened in England, provides Feyenoord with a complementary coaching duo that combines international experience, a winning mentality and in-depth knowledge of the club. We are therefore delighted to welcome them both back to Rotterdam.”