John Heitinga's agent blasts Tottenham after ex-Liverpool coach lasted 33 days

John Heitinga left Liverpool last summer to join Ajax as head coach, but he was fired mid-season and then joined Tottenham, only to depart 33 days later when Thomas Frank departed

John Heitinga moved to Spurs, briefly, after leaving his position as Ajax head coach(Image: Alex Bierens de Haan - UEFA via Getty Images)

The agent of former Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga has hit out at Tottenham owners the Lewis family after his client left the North London club 33 days after joining.

Heitinga was Arne Slot's assistant at Anfield last season but departed after winning the Premier League title to join Ajax. When he was fired there, he returned to England but lasted little more than a month.

Now, his agent, Rob Jansen, has blasted the appointment of interim boss Igor Tudor, who lost his first match in charge against Arsenal over the weekend, leaving Tottenham four points and two places above the drop zone.

Jansen has revealed why Heitinga snubbed the chance to remain with Tottenham as part of Tudor's coaching set-up, telling the Dutch podcast Kieft Jansen Egmond Gijp that he was offered the chance to continue.

"He was allowed to stay. They even asked him to stay," Jansen said. "All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left.

"And after three weeks, they told him, 'Please stay and see out your contract here.’ That’s quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.

Arne Slot's former assistant John Heitinga (right) was fired after just a few months in charge of Ajax(Image: Getty Images)

"But he said, 'Yes, but now Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, is coming with a whole staff for three or four months.' That man is always hired for emergency jobs.

"That almost never works. Why they did that is a mystery to me. And then another coach will come in.

"So, you can leave twice. That new coach will also come in with 45 people. He said, 'This is pointless, Rob. I have to leave now.'"

Jansen says the appointment of Tudor lacks ambition. Previously, the Croatian was in charge of Juventus.

"What does the management do, or in this case, the owners, the Lewis family? They opt for some kind of security," he said.

"They hire someone with a track record, someone known as a crisis manager at struggling clubs for a few months. That saves their image. Unless they dare to continue with Heitinga and a new staff, but they won’t."

Heitinga is unlikely to be short of offers come the summer. He was highly rated at Liverpool and though things didn't work out in the Netherlands when he went in as a number one, his coaching ability is clearly valued.