It seemed impossible at first. But after several conversations, Robin van Persie is the top candidate to become coach of SC Heerenveen.
SC Heerenveen and Van Persie have had several conversations with each other in recent weeks. There is no agreement yet, but what is certain is that both parties are working towards it.
Both the club and the top scorer of the Dutch national team are looking forward to working together as a trainer in the Abe Lenstra stadium. During his first interview, Van Persie made an excellent impression on the Heerenveen club management, who became convinced of his vision on being a trainer and building a team.
And Van Persie? He is enthusiastic about the coaching job in the Abe Lenstra stadium. The former top striker sees Heerenveen as an ideal club to start his coaching career as ultimately responsible for a first selection. Van Persie is currently trainer of Feyenoord under 18. The Rotterdam team wants to promote him to the Under 21 team, but Van Persie has set his sights on becoming head coach. With Arne Slot as the undisputed leader at the helm, this is currently not possible at Feyenoord.
Relative peace
Of course, performance is also expected at Heerenveen, as current trainer Kees van Wonderen recently put it. Preferably with attractive and attacking football. The times when Heerenveen was a regular player in the sub-top and regularly reached European football? As is well known, they have been over for a while.
In fact, the club has sometimes been dangerously close to the relegation line in recent years. But if you look at all the final rankings, you will conclude that Heerenveen is at least a solid mid-table in the Dutch football landscape. One with the ambition to return to the sub-top again, supported by a large supporter base.
That sporting perspective, coupled with the story of Heerenveen and the relative peace in which he can work, are roughly the three factors that have given Van Persie more and more of a feeling for being a coach in the Abe Lenstra stadium.
Technical staff
Finances are not the biggest stumbling block. Van Persie earned millions as a footballer for Feyenoord, Arsenal, Manchester United and Fenerbahce. The focus of the conversations is currently mainly about which people Van Persie will possibly work with at Heerenveen. He would like to bring his own assistant coach. But what will the rest of the coaching staff look like? Will that staff be accompanied by a purified force next to Van Persie? And if so, who will that be?
An experienced assistant coach alongside Van Persie does not seem to be an unnecessary luxury, for both Heerenveen and Van Persie. Because no matter how you look at it: Van Persie is a novice head coach.
But the fact that these matters are being discussed clearly indicates how much the club and coach are involved in the game. Heerenveen wants Van Persie and the former top striker wants to go to Heerenveen.
Marco van Basten
The club previously also spoke with Maurice Steijn and Rick Kruys. Steijn was fired from Ajax this season and Kruys is in his last months at VVV-Venlo. Several sources state that Steijn is no longer a candidate for the coaching post at the Abe Lenstra stadium. Stories vary about Kruys’ perspective to become Heerenveen’s coach, but he is clearly not the club’s first choice.
That is Robin van Persie, the man with a similar stature to Marco van Basten, who coached Heerenveen between 2012 and 2014. Now the other former top striker must lead the club to new sporting successes in the coming years.
De Haan is counting on a new trainer within a few weeks
Ferry de Haan says in a response that he does not want to comment substantively on names when it comes to the vacant coaching post of SC Heerenveen. However, the club’s general manager says that the candidates were enthusiastic about Heerenveen’s story. De Haan is counting on being able to present a new trainer before the end of this season.
