Liverpool first-team assistant coach John Heitinga has attracted interest from managerless West Bromwich Albion.
Heitinga’s agent has confirmed that the Liverpool coach will remain at Anfield for the remainder of the season, despite interest from West Bromwich Albion. The former Everton defender joined Liverpool in the summer as part of new head coach Arne Slot’s backroom staff.
Before joining Liverpool, Heitinga had managed Ajax and most recently worked alongside his former Everton boss, David Moyes, in the coaching team at West Ham United.
His experience and positive impact at Liverpool — who are currently six points clear at the top of the Premier League, leading the Champions League, and advancing to the League Cup semi-finals — have made him a target for Championship club West Brom.
West Brom, who are aiming for promotion to the Premier League, have been without a manager since Carlos Corberan left to take charge of La Liga side Valencia just before Christmas.
However, their efforts to bring Heitinga to the Hawthorns seem unlikely to succeed. His agent, Rob Jansen, was quoted in De Telegraaf stating: “John will definitely stay at Liverpool this season.”
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Michael Owen identifies the sole team capable of preventing Liverpool from winning the title
Liverpool are heavy favourites to win the Premier League this season, and former Reds star Michael Owen has identified the “only danger” to their title hopes.
Owen believes Arsenal pose the “only danger” to Liverpool’s challenge for the Premier League title.
Currently, Liverpool lead the table by seven points, having only lost once this season under their new manager, Arne Slot. Arsenal are in fourth place but could move up to second if they defeat Ipswich at the Emirates tonight.
This would bring them to within six points of Liverpool, who still have a game in hand. Owen, however, sees them as the only team with a realistic chance to threaten Liverpool’s lead. He does acknowledge, though, that Liverpool are “streaking clear” of the competition and says he would be “astonished” if they failed to win the league.
“They’re [Liverpool] absolutely loving it aren’t they, you can only imagine that dressing room,” Owen said to Premier League Productions after Liverpool’s 3-1 comeback victory over Leicester on Boxing Day.
“People will say, they [Liverpool] will come out and say, ‘we don’t look at other teams, we just concentrate on ourselves,’ and they’re right to do that. They are concentrating on themselves, and they are motoring along really well.
“But everyone around them is falling away at the same time—Chelsea lost today, Manchester City dropped points again, and they’re probably out of it now. When I look at the league table, I’d be astonished if Liverpool don’t go on to win it now.
“I think their only danger could be Arsenal. I don’t fancy Chelsea, I think they are too young, too inexperienced. Forest are having a great season but they can’t sustain that. Newcastle are too far behind, even though they are coming into good form at the moment. Bournemouth can’t challenge either.
“For me, it’s Arsenal and Arsenal only in terms of danger to them [Liverpool]. But I think they’re only a danger to themselves, the way they are playing, unless they implode themselves, unless they have a Manchester City moment, it looks like they’re streaking clear.”
