Former West Ham coach is reportedly leading the race to take over as Premier League club’s boss.

During his second stint at the club, David Moyes was extremely fortunate to have a strong, experienced and well respected team of coaches behind him.

Unfortunately, the Scotsman’s departure also meant the end of the large majority of his coaching staff’s time at West Ham too. The likes of Kevin Nolan and Billy McKinlay were extremely popular amongst the East London faithful, but there were also some more unsung heroes who were key to the Hammer’s success, namely John Heitinga.

While certain sites certainly exaggerated the role that Heitinga played, he was undoubtedly an influential figure. His work at Ajax made him incredibly sought after and it’s unbelievable that West Ham managed to land him as a coach.

Ultimately though, Julen Lopetegui decided to bring in his own staff, but it could just work out perfectly for the Dutchman. According to Football League World, he is one of the front runners for the Ipswich Town job if Kieran McKenna is lured away.

They look to follow in their own footsteps of appointing someone who has had little to no previous managerial experience. While Heitinga’s only experience as a head coach came as an interim at Ajax, he did win 11 out of his 16 games in charge showing that he clearly has the ability to take on the role.

It’s definitely a risk if Ipswich do decide to take him on, but it’s one that could very well pay off. If that is the case, Lopetegui could come to deeply regret not keeping him in East London.