Arsenal rocked as Van Gaal targets key Arteta ally in Ajax shake-up

Robin Bairner

8 Nov 2025 10:50 GMT
4 min read

Mikel Arteta, Louis van Gaal, Arsenal — © IMAGO

Arsenal could suffer collateral damage from Ajax’s decision to sack manager John Heitinga, with the Amsterdam club tipped to raid the Emirates Stadium for a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s plans.

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The ripples from Heitinga’s sacking could be felt as far away as North London, with former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal put in charge of finding his replacement. With his considerable influence at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Van Gaal has been tipped to put Albert Stuivenberg, currently an assistant with Arteta, in charge.

Ajax are a club in crisis and in need of a dramatic change. One of the Netherlands’ most powerful sides, they have made an abysmal start to the season, winning only five of their first 15 matches across all competitions.

The Champions League has proven a particular challenge, and a 3-0 midweek loss against Galatasaray was the final straw.

Fan protests raged during and after that particular match, but the decision to sack Heitinga arrived from Van Gaal.

Ajax correspondent Mike Verweij told De Telegraaf’s Kick-Off podcast: “It was really Van Gaal who shot Heitinga in the foot. Van Gaal is the advisor to the supervisory board, and in various phone conversations with John Heitinga, he supposedly expressed his support.

“But behind the scenes, something happened that ultimately led to Louis van Gaal being asked for advice, and he gave him a thumbs-down. That was the end for John Heitinga.”

Stuiverberg ‘very close’ to me – Mikel Arteta

Now Ajax are tipped to appoint one of Van Haal’s proteges to the head coach role, and that’s where Arsenal come in.

While former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been tipped as the ideal candidate, with Frank de Boer also on the shortlist, but Stuivenberg is an option to watch.

Van Gaal’s relationship with Arteta’s right-hand man is a strong one. The 55-year-old was with the Dutchman at Manchester United and had a year at Genk in Belgium before joining Arsenal in 2019 to be one of Arteta’s chief generals.

Stuivenberg’s role has been considerable. Indeed, he has even led the Gunners when Arteta has been ill or banned, underlining the faith the manager has in him. Furthermore, he played a big role in attracting Leandro Trossard to Arsenal, having worked with him in Belgium.

“We had a really good connection, we have the same belief, think about the game in the same way and share all of the values that we believe have to be installed in the club,” Arteta said.

“He’s someone that is very close to me. He’s more than capable, he’s done it before so in that sense, I’m very relaxed about it.”

Ajax were ready to make Stuivenberg their head coach back in 2023 before opting for Francesco Farioli. With Van Gaal now in charge of the recruitment process, the danger appears much more apparent this time around.

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