Tottenham have made a key addition to Thomas Frank’s backroom staff.
Tottenham Hotspur have raided Atletico Madrid to secure the signing of Conor Gallagher, bolstering their midfield unit in the process.
Gallagher’s addition marks the first signing of the January transfer window for the north London club, who have focused chiefly on loan exits and sales since the month started. Santos left-back Souza is set to follow suit, but given the problems Thomas Frank has been facing, Tottenham need a lot more in this transfer window to save their season from sinking.
While work has been done to improve the squad, Spurs have announced a key change off the pitch.
John Heitinga becomes part of Thomas Frank’s backroom staff
Tottenham have confirmed John Heitinga has joined Thomas Frank’s staff as a first-team assistant coach. He is back in the Premier League, having previously coached at Liverpool and West Ham
In an official club statement, Frank expressed delight at getting John Heitinga on board and expects him to bring plenty of defensive knowledge to the training pitch.
“John is a great addition to our coaching staff,” Frank said.
“His ability, personality and character will add huge value both on and off the pitch.
“He had an impressive playing career across Europe – including five years in the Premier League – and with the Dutch national team.
“As a former defender, that will be one of his main responsibilities on the training pitch, and he brings great coaching and management experiences from all levels of the game, which will really help us moving forward.”
After hanging up his playing boots, Heitinga began his coaching career back in 2016. He worked with Ajax’s youth teams and took interim charge of the Eredivisie heavyweights’ senior side in January 2023, for the remainder of the season. Ahead of the following season, the Dutchman joined as a first-team assistant before being appointed as Liverpool’s assistant coach in July 2024.
Heitinga was part of Arne Slot’s coaching setup at Liverpool that won the Premier League title last season. He left Anfield last summer to take up a position as Ajax manager, but lasted only five months in Amsterdam. The 42-year-old was sacked in November after a poor run of form, managing just 15 games for Ajax. The 3-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League in November 2025 turned out to be the ex-Netherlands international’s final game in charge of Ajax.
After a cooling period for a couple of months, Heitinga joins Tottenham at a time when pressure is already high on Thomas Frank, with the Dane’s team currently 14th in the Premier League. The former Everton defender will hope his time serving under Frank can rebuild his managerial reputation following the terrible stint at Ajax.
