Why John Heitinga called time on his Tottenham role after just 33 days

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Journalist Valentijn Driessen has revealed why Tottenham’s first-team assistant coach John Heitinga resigned instead of working with Igor Tudor.

Heitinga arrived at Tottenham Hotspur just last month, with his stay in North London proving extremely short-lived.

When Thomas Frank was sacked by Spurs, it was suggested that Heitinga could be put in charge of Tottenham until the end of the season.

However, the club decided to bring Tudor through the door, with Heitinga following Frank out of the door, along with other members of the Dane’s staff.

John Heitinga did not see a future at Tottenham after Igor Tudor’s arrival

It was revealed by The Daily Mail a few days ago that Heitinga himself decided to exit Spurs after Frank’s sacking, rather than being sacked.

Valentijn Driessen has now explained that the former Ajax head coach was hoping to be handed the top job on an interim basis and did not see a future at Hotspur Way after the club looked past him.

Speaking about Heitinga’s exit from Tottenham, the journalist said (via Soccer News): “If you read the statement, he could have stayed, and of course, he was still there.

“That manager had been fired last week, and John could have stayed, but he had hoped to become interim manager for the rest of the season. Then he heard that Igor Tudor was coming.

“Then they sat down together, and he thought: ‘I don’t see any future here, because next season there will be a whole new staff and a new manager. He’ll bring his own people with him.’ And he probably didn’t want to work under that Tudor, after which he said: ‘I’m closing the door behind me’.”

Tudor appointment seen as a big risk by Spurs

Many pundits are shocked that Tottenham have turned to Tudor to get them out of relegation trouble, given his lack of experience in Premier League football.

The decision is seen as a huge gamble by the North London club, who find themselves five points off the drop zone.

Relegation could have devastating consequences for Spurs, and the club’s hierarchy will desperately be hoping that the Croat can firefight effectively at N17, as he has at other clubs in the past.