THE HAGUE, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Ajax announced the appointment of John Heitinga as the new head coach on Saturday, with the 41-year-old former player signing a contract through mid-2027.

Heitinga succeeds Francesco Farioli at Ajax, who unexpectedly departed after just one season. Under Farioli, Ajax recovered from a disappointing 2023-2024 season to lead the Dutch top flight by nine points over PSV with five rounds remaining. However, Ajax faltered in the final phase of the season, allowing reigning champion PSV to finish first once more.

For the past two seasons, Heitinga served as an assistant coach at West Ham United and most recently at Liverpool, where he won the Premier League title under head coach Arne Slot. Prior to his time in England, he was interim head coach of Ajax for several months in 2023.

"I am incredibly excited to start," Heitinga told the Ajax website. "The last years in England have done me a lot of good. I've been able to develop further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at two major clubs. I'm ready to continue as a head coach and I'm honored to be given that opportunity at Ajax."

"John is a good coach with enormous drive," technical director Alex Kroes of Ajax added. "He is ambitious and has further developed himself over the past few years in the Premier League and the Champions League."

After retiring in 2016, the former Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Everton, Fulham, and Hertha BSC defender held various coaching roles at Ajax, including a stint as assistant coach for Marcel Keizer in the second team. Keizer will now serve as his assistant with the first team. ■