Robin van Persie reportedly dismissed as Feyenoord boss after 16 months
According to multiple Dutch outlets, including De Telegraaf and Voetbal International, Van Persie is set to leave his role as Feyenoord manager following a mixed campaign with the Rotterdam club.
Van Persie, 42, guided Feyenoord to a runners-up spot, securing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League, yet endured difficult periods throughout the 2025-26 season, notably a stretch of only 3 victories in 14 matches across all competitions from October to January.
Changes behind the scenes
The Dutch legend's exit occurs just a week after technical director Devy Rigaux joined Feyenoord. Alongside Rigaux, former AZ director Robert Eenhoorn will take over as general manager in July. The pair succeed Dennis te Kloese, who departed Feyenoord for Monterrey after the 2025-26 season.
Rigaux, previously an executive at Club Brugge, stated at his first press conference that no role at Feyenoord was secure, including Van Persie's.
"Robert (Eenhoorn), Toon (van Bodegom), and I met with Robin for the first time. We will take time to assess the situation," Rigaux said.
An evaluation of what occurred last season to give us a clear understanding before we proceed with any choices. So in that regard, it is for us to be thorough and get a clearer view of the circumstances before we move on to the decisions that need to be made."
A rollercoaster tenure
After hanging up his boots as a Feyenoord player in 2019, Van Persie began his coaching journey in the Feyenoord academy before landing his first senior position at sc Heerenveen in 2024. The former Premier League star had a shaky start in Frisia, with whispers that Van Persie was inflexible and confused dominating the story of his brief period at the club.
Robin van Persie joined Feyenoord from sc Heerenveen in February 2025, replacing the dismissed Brian Priske. After signing a deal until 2027, Van Persie began strongly with Feyenoord, winning 8 of his first 10 league matches in charge and securing a third-place finish.
Van Persie's Feyenoord were impressive at the start of the 2025-26 season, claiming 25 points from their first 9 Eredivisie games. However, struggles in Europe - Van Persie and Feyenoord lost 6 of their 8 UEFA Europa League matches - continued domestically, where Feyenoord lost touch with league leaders PSV and were knocked out of the Dutch Cup in the second round after a 3-2 home loss to Heerenveen.
Feyenoord recovered their form, but could not regain the fans' confidence as calls for Van Persie's removal grew louder. Van Persie eventually finished second in the Eredivisie, a whopping 19 points adrift of PSV, despite underwhelming on-field displays from his squad. Overall, Feyenoord won 22 of their 45 games in all competitions.
Van Persie leaves Feyenoord with 30 wins and 19 draws from 58 matches as manager.