In an alternate universe, John Heitinga is still at Tottenham Hotspur.But he hasn’t stayed put in north London as an assistant coach.Heitinga had a short-lived stint on Tottenham’s coaching staffGettyInstead, he’s the main man in the dugout.In an appearance on the KieftJansenEgmondGijp podcast, Heitinga’s agent Rob Jansen revealed the pair had the long-term idea for the former Dutch international to take over at Spurs knowing Thomas Frank was on the brink of being sacked.However, Spurs changed course and appointed Igor Tudor on an interim basis until the end of the season.Heitinga played the long game“But there was a chance he (Heitinga) would take over; we had that in mind,” Jansen said.“Only the club didn’t.“After three weeks, they decided it was too soon. So then you have an interim manager.“What does the management do, or in this case, the owners, the Lewis family? They opt for some kind of security.“They hire someone with a track record, someone known as a crisis manager at struggling clubs for a few months. That saves their image.“Unless they dare to continue with Heitinga and a new staff, but they won’t.”Heitinga was first appointed as an assistant coach under Frank on January 15.Frank often sounded out Heitinga for advice but ultimately the Dutchman couldn’t save his jobGettyIn the club statement confirming the Dutchman’s new role, Frank heralded Heitinga’s experience as a defender and claimed it ‘will be one of his main responsibilities on the training pitch.’However, Heitinga and Frank spent just eight games as a working partnership before the Dane was axed.Former assistant to Arne Slot at Liverpool Heitinga followed Frank out the exit door in north London as his stay at the club lasted just 33 days.Did Heitinga have the chance to stay on at Tottenham?But speaking on the podcast, Jansen claimed Heitinga opted to leave on his own accord rather than being pushed out by Tottenham.“He was allowed to stay,” Jansen said.“They even asked him to stay. All other coaches, all Scandinavian, left.Spurs results with Heitinga as assistant coachJanuary 17: 2-1 loss to West Ham UnitedJanuary 20: 2-0 win over Borussia DortmundJanuary 24: 2-2 draw with BurnleyJanuary 28: 2-0 win over Eintracht FrankfurtFebruary 1: 2-2 draw with Manchester CityFebruary 7: 2-0 loss to Manchester UnitedFebruary 10: 2-1 loss to Newcastle UnitedHeitinga already has experience of being a manager at Ajax, although it didn’t quite go to planGetty“And after three weeks, they told him: ‘Please stay and see out your contract here.’ That’s quite an achievement for someone who worked there for three weeks.“But he said: ‘Yes, but now Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, is coming with a whole staff for three or four months’. That man is always hired for emergency jobs.“That almost never works. Why they did that is a mystery to me. And then another coach will come in. So, you can leave twice. That new coach will also come in with 45 people. “He said, ‘This is pointless, Rob. I have to leave now.'”