The search for a new Netherlands head coach is still fuelling debate. Arnold Bruggink expects the KNVB to come up with a surprise foreign name, he said on Saturday on the VriendenLoterij Eretribune on ESPN.
A month has now passed since Ronald Koeman announced he would step down as head coach. So far, Nigel de Jong, the KNVB's director of top-level football, has not appointed a successor.
“I think it is taking too long,” said Ronald Waterreus. “Every next head coach of ours knows that he was never the first choice and that he is actually going to miss a bit of the backing of the association's technical leadership. Because otherwise they would have appointed him much earlier.”
He added: “Everybody knew that Ronald Koeman was going to stop. There is no one in this studio who thought that Koeman would continue after the World Cup. So you could have done some groundwork a little earlier to see who might potentially be a suitable candidate.”
Right now, two names in particular are being mentioned as options: Michael Reiziger and Louis van Gaal. “That is not going to happen,” Bruggink thinks. “I do not believe that at all. What I do think is very strong about him (De Jong, ed.) is that he has zero lines to the press. Everything shows that. Nothing is leaking out.”
Bruggink continued: “I think he is going to come up with a foreigner whom nobody expects. But I really could not tell you who. It really does seem very much like that, doesn’t it? Because you hear nothing.”
Waterreus then responded: “I do think that is very strong, by the way: you hear nothing. That means there can also be no noise on the line. You do have to give them the chance to come up with something. And whoever comes deserves all the credit we can give him.”
He concluded: “The fact that nothing is leaking out could mean that they will soon come up with a huge surprise and that all of us will be left open-mouthed and say: oh, shit, we had not thought of that yet.”