Maurice Steijn signed a contract through the summer of 2028 to become the new head coach of ADO Den Haag, succeeding the dismissed German manager Robin Peter, according to NOS Voetbal.

The official confirmation followed after a few days, bringing the 52-year-old Hagenaar back to the club where he previously served as both a player and trainer.

Born in The Hague, the 53-year-old manager was the dream candidate for the club that is in 17th place in the Eredivisie. Steijn made his professional playing debut for the club during the 1993/1994 season and spent six years playing in the first division before moving to NAC Breda.

For Steijn, a new chapter at ADO Den Haag also means a return to the club where he began his professional career as a player.

His managerial career also began in the Hofstad, starting in the youth academy before serving as an interim manager and assistant. He took over as head coach in 2011 until his dismissal in February 2014 following disappointing results, managing exactly 100 matches during that three-year stint.

In the intervening years, Steijn managed several clubs, including Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax, where he departed after several months in October 2023, and VVV-Venlo, where he won an Eerste Divisie title in 2017, alongside spells at Al-Wahda in the United Arab Emirates and NAC Breda.

Following his departure in 2014, the born-Hagenaar also worked at VVV-Venlo, Al-Wahda, NAC Breda, and Sparta Rotterdam, and was previously employed at Ajax, NAC Breda, and Al-Wahda FC in the United Arab Emirates.

Recent reports indicated the manager had also drawn interest from FC Utrecht as pressure mounted on Anthony Correia following a 2-3 defeat against NEC, with De Telegraaf reporting that Steijn had initially placed ADO Den Haag on hold.

News previously emerged that the name of the 52-year-old coach was also whispered at FC Utrecht, where the manager had previously been among the alternatives alongside Rick Kruys for the succession of Ron Jans. However, Voetbal International reported that an agreement on the main terms was reached on Monday evening, effectively ending any potential move to the Domstedelingen.

“With Maurice we are bringing in an experienced head coach who knows the club like no other and understands what ADO Den Haag means for the city and the supporters,” said Steven Gunn, director of football at ADO Den Haag.

“At Sparta he has already proven he can steer a team away from relegation and then let them grow further. He knows how to get the absolute maximum out of his players and we see in his approach a good basis to together realize our objective of staying in the Eredivisie,” Gunn said.

Steijn inherits a squad sitting on nine points after 12 matches, trailing 15th-placed Excelsior by two points in the relegation battle.

To assist with the turnaround, 57-year-old Jay Driessen joins the technical staff as an assistant manager alongside Schwiebbe, bringing previous collaborative experience with Steijn from VVV-Venlo, Al-Wahda, and Sparta Rotterdam.

Steijn’s first fixture in charge falls on Sunday, November 22, when ADO Den Haag travels to face Ajax at the Johan Cruijff ArenA with kickoff scheduled for 14.30 local time.