One key figure at Liverpool has been linked with an exit from the club less than a year after coming to Anfield.
In addition to a summer transfer spree which saw £446m worth of new players arriving in L4, there was also a significant change in Arne Slot’s backroom staff as his former assistant John Heitinga departed to (briefly) take charge of Ajax, with the vacancy duly being filled by Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
The 51-year-old has previously held four different head coach roles, the first of which was with Feyenoord between 2015 and 2019, and he’s reportedly being targeted for a return to Rotterdam amid a major behind-the-scenes reshuffle at De Kuip.
Speaking on Anfield Index‘s Media Matters podcast, Lewis Steele outlined that the Eredivisie side have identified Van Bronckhorst as a ‘leading candidate’ to come in as technical director, and the Dutchman would seemingly be inclined to take the job if it’s offered to him.
The Daily Mail journalist said: “I think Feyenoord want to hire him as their technical director. I think they are very keen on that. There’s a few changes happening at Feyenoord at the moment, and I think Van Bronckhorst is well in the running for technical director.
“[Robin] Van Persie’s the manager, Dick Advocaat’s there, and Dennis te Kloese – the man who negotiated Slot’s move to Liverpool – is leaving, and Van Bronckhorst is the leading candidate.
“He’s got a year left on his deal like Slot, but I think there’s an unwritten agreement that he could leave if the situation becomes that he wants to go. If he got offered that job I think he would go, which obviously leaves a vacancy at Liverpool. The plan at the moment is for everyone to see out the season and see where it goes after that.”
Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
At this point it isn’t certain that Slot himself will remain in charge of Liverpool for next season (it’s been reliably reported that FSG are set to keep faith in him), but even if he does, another significant backroom departure wouldn’t be particularly ideal for the Reds boss.
Losing Heitinga and Van Bronckhorst in consecutive summers would be galling for the 47-year-old, who’d be left searching for another replacement to come in as his assistant. Even that might be a short-term appointment if the head coach’s contract isn’t renewed beyond next summer (or is terminated beforehand).
It’s the sort of behind-the-scenes instability that LFC could do without, and it has echoes of the frequent passing of the baton between sporting directors since 2022, with Michael Edwards, Julian Ward, Jorg Schmadtke and Richard Hughes all holding the position in that time.
From a Liverpool perspective, it’d be ideal if Slot’s right-hand man doesn’t leave for the vacancy at Feyenoord, although the head coach’s position is nowhere near as secure as it had been in the wake of Premier League glory this time last year.