“Fijn om weer hier te zijn,” Maurice Steijn said at his unveiling as the new head coach of ADO Den Haag, returning to the club on a contract running through the summer of 2028 as reported by NOS.
The 53-year-old manager takes over a side currently sitting in 17th place in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie with nine points from 12 matches, lying two points behind 15th-placed Excelsior. He succeeds the dismissed German coach Robin Peter, stepping into a rescue mission for his boyhood club.
Steijn arrives after previous stints at Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax, bringing assistant Jay Driessen with him to the Hofstad. Director of Football Steven Gunn pointed to the manager’s prior experience in steering clubs away from relegation as the foundation for the appointment, according to NOS. From 2014 to 2019 he was head coach of VVV-Venlo, with which he achieved the championship in the Eerste Divisie in 2017.
“Ik ben hier geboren en getogen”,
Maurice Steijn said about his bond with ADO and Den Haag.
Supporters on social media quickly speculated about a potential return for Feyenoord midfielder Sem Steijn, but his father firmly dismissed the idea during his presentation, VOETBALZONE reported.
“Was het maar waar dat hij hier kwam spelen, maar dat is een kansloos verhaal,” Maurice Steijn said, noting that his son was recently considered one of the best players in the Netherlands.
The younger Steijn is tied to Feyenoord until mid-2029 with an estimated market value of 11 million euros according to Transfermarkt data cited by VOETBALZONE. After a standout period at FC Twente, the midfielder has logged four goals and one assist in 268 minutes across all competitions for Feyenoord this season, including a goal in Barcelona against Camp Nou. In 43 official matches he scored 18 goals and provided 6 assists.
ADO Den Haag intends to sign new players during the winter transfer window to help the team avoid relegation from the Eredivisie. The club currently sits two points adrift of safety following a victory under interim manager Levi Schwiebbe.
“De mogelijkheden zijn er en die gaan we niet onbenut laten,” Maurice Steijn stated regarding the financial backing promised by the club leadership, adding that the technical staff knows the exact strengths and weaknesses of the current selection, as reported by VOETBALZONE and NOS.
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