As West Ham United were playing out a 1-1 draw with Manchester United last night, Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 to Newcastle United. This resulted in the Spurs manager, Thomas Frank, losing his job.
Frank had been assisted by Johnny Heitinga at Tottenham, and he is now in the frame to be the club's interim head coach. This is Heitinga's second assistant role at a Premier League club, as he was previously with West Ham.
Heitinga had an impressive playing career with the likes of Everton, Fulham, Atletico Madrid, Hertha Berlin, and Ajax. He was also a Netherlands international who won 87 caps and was part of the side that reached the 2010 World Cup final.
Johnny Heitinga's first coaching job in men's soccer was at West Ham
Following his retirement, Heitinga took on multiple roles with Ajax's youth teams before becoming David Moyes' assistant at West Ham. However, when Moyes lost his job with the Hammers, Heitinga also.
His next role was as Arne Slot's assistant at Liverpool, where they won the Premier League. Heitinga then thought he was ready to be a manager. However, he lasted just 15 games in charge of Ajax. Following his stint with the Dutch side, he became Frank's assistant, where it was often speculated that he could take over from the Dane.
Heitinga would only be an interim appointment for Tottenham. Roberto De Zerbit, who has just left Marseille, has been linked with taking the job permanently. Most Spurs fans appear to want Mauricio Pochettino to return to the club. However, the USMNT head coach will only be available after the World Cup.
Heitinga would not be the first former West Ham assistant in recent years to go on to become the manager of another Premier League club. Enzo Maresca was Manuel Pellegrini's assistant at the London Stadium. Marsca then went on to win the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League with Chelsea before being dismissed at the start of this year.