Ajax have dismissed head coach John Heitinga after just 11 Eredivisie matches under the former Liverpool assistant.
Heitinga, who assisted Arne Slot in Liverpool’s title-winning 2024-25 campaign after representing their Merseyside rivals Everton during his playing career, was only appointed in May.
He joined the Amsterdam giants following the departure of Francesco Farioli, who stepped down after a spectacular collapse saw them miss out on the title, having held a nine-point lead over eventual champions PSV with only five games remaining in 2024-25.
However, the former defender’s tenure did not go as planned, with Ajax sitting fourth in the Dutch top flight with only 20 points from 11 games.
They are already eight points behind pace-setters Feyenoord and PSV, while Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Galatasaray left them rock bottom of the Champions League table with four defeats in four matches.
After announcing the termination of Heitinga’s contract, which had been due to run until 2027, technical director Alex Kroes said: “It’s a painful decision.
“But looking back at the past few months, we must conclude that things have turned out quite differently from what we had envisioned.
“We’ve seen too little progress and have unnecessarily dropped points. We know it can take time for a new coach to work with a squad that has undergone changes.
“We have given John that time, but we believe it’s best for the club to appoint someone else to lead the team.”
Ajax has suspended John Heitinga with immediate effect. The head coach’s contract was due to run until June 30, 2027, but will now be terminated. The same applies to assistant coach Marcel Keizer. Ajax is looking for a new head coach; in the meantime, Fred Grim will take over… pic.twitter.com/phMVZ7PbYI
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) November 6, 2025
Kroes also offered to resign from his role on Thursday but said the club’s hierarchy had asked him to remain in his position “for the sake of continuity”.
Fred Grim will lead the club on an interim basis until a permanent successor is appointed, with former boss Erik ten Hag reportedly a target.