If John Heitinga had been hired by Ajax, the Dutch team, he would have wanted to stay and work under manager Peter Bosz.
Journalist Valentijn Driessen claims that if Edwin van der Sar had his way at Ajax, things would have turned out differently for the West Ham boss.
Heitinga, who left Ajax in the summer, recently joined West Ham as a member of David Moyes’ backroom staff.
Last season, the veteran defender temporarily oversaw the Dutch powerhouses, but Sven Mislintat, the new director of football, did not extend a permanent job offer to him.
Against the advice of several directors, including Edwin van der Sar, he chose to recruit manager Maurice Steijn as part of a comprehensive club renovation.
Driessen claims that the goalkeeper-turned-director had wanted to appoint manager Peter Bosz, which might have prevented Heitinga from leaving and ultimately reuniting with Moyes at West Ham.
Driessen stated, “I have always said: Edwin van der Sar fell for Peter Bosz.
But he declared that he would still side with Peter Bosz just before he departed for Amsterdam. Only Mislintat had already begun his collaboration with Maurice Steijn, and he was unwilling to end it. With Bosz, he did not wish to conduct business.
Finally, Van der Sar declared, “We are going for Peter Bosz,” hoping to emerge from under his shadow this year.
That John Heitinga was still working for Ajax at the time is absurd. Several times, Heitinga has inquired of Mislintat, “Are you already associated with someone else?”
“That was completely unthinkable. If such had been the case at that time, he might have easily moved to Peter Bosz. Heitinga wished as well to work with Bosz as an assistant.
