Vitesse, despite the uncertainty about its continued existence, appointed a new coach on Monday. German Rüdiger Rehm succeeds John van den Brom in Arnhem. Willem II found a new coach in John Stegeman.
The 46-year-old Rehm coached at the second and third levels of Germany. His last club was SV Waldhof Mannheim 07, where he was fired in January last year. After that, he was without work for a year and a half. He has signed for one year in Arnhem, with an option for another year.
The arrival of Rehm cannot be seen separately from the two German co-owners of Vitesse, including interim director Thomas Braasch. However, they will leave soon. Regional investors closed a deal on Saturday with the four foreign owners about the shares of Vitesse.
Vitesse emphasizes that Rehm has come at the suggestion of the technical heart, in which club icon Theo Janssen and Aleksandar Bursac represent the regional investors. Braasch also sits in this body. The director said goodbye to club icon Van den Brom in May, which led to much criticism.
Rehm is an acquaintance of Thomas Letsch, who was the coach of Vitesse from 2020 to 2022. The only question is whether he can actually start his job. Vitesse threatens to lose its professional license because the Keuken Kampioen Divisie club structurally violates the rules according to the licensing committee of the KNVB. There must be clarity before the start of the competition on August 8.
Willem II wants to promote with Stegeman
Earlier in the day, relegated Willem II appointed Stegeman as the new coach. He comes from Royal Antwerp, where he was an assistant. The 48-year-old Stegeman signs a contract in Tilburg until the summer of 2027. Previously, he was at the helm at Heracles Almelo, Go Ahead Eagles and PEC Zwolle.
“It has always been my ambition to work as head coach again,” says Stegeman on the Willem II site. “The talks with technical director Freek Heerkens have given me a lot of confidence in the story and ambition of the club.”
Heerkens is happy with the arrival of the “experienced” Stegeman. “He is a coach who fits the style of play and mentality that we want to pursue as a club. Moreover, he has an eye for the development of young players.”
Stegeman is the successor of Peter Maes, who was fired in April due to poor results. Willem II finished sixteenth in the Eredivisie under interim coach Kristof Aelbrecht and relegated to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie via the play-offs. Telstar was surprisingly too strong for the Tilburgers in the final.
Seegers (49) head coach for the first time
Jurgen Seegers signs for one year with Helmond Sport. He was already a coach with youth teams from Telstar, ADO Den Haag and PEC Zwolle, among others. He was also performance coach at ADO, Anderlecht and Vitesse and head of youth training at Fortuna Sittard and Almere City.
“The club has a clear ambition and clear vision for the future,” says Seegers on the Helmond Sport site. “This will be my first job as head coach, which motivates me even more to get started with enthusiasm.”
Seegers is the successor of interim coach Robert Maaskant, who replaced the fired Kevin Hofland in February. Helmond Sport won only two of the fourteen matches under the leadership of Maaskant. The club finished thirteenth last season.
“With Jurgen we are not only bringing in a professional, but also someone who fits perfectly with the ambition and culture of our club,” says football and organization manager Rick de Rooij. “We have a lot of confidence in his vision and approach.”