Feyenoord have parted ways with manager Robin van Persie after just 16 months in charge of the Eredivisie club. The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker, aged 42, guided the Rotterdam-based side to a second-place finish and secured Champions League football in his only full season as head coach, although they ended the campaign 19 points behind champions PSV Eindhoven.
Van Persie's departure comes only two weeks after the appointments of Devy Rigaux as technical director and Robert Eenhoorn as general manager. Rigaux acknowledged the Dutchman's efforts, stating: "Robin van Persie has given everything for the club over the past 1.5 years. He certainly deserves credit for concluding a difficult season with a final second-place finish. This secured Champions League football, which is of course very important."
However, Rigaux added: "We conducted a thorough internal analysis. In this, we took into account, among other things, the development of the style of play and the declining trend in terms of points total, both in Europe and in the Eredivisie. The conclusion was that it is better to start the next season with a new head coach."
Van Persie had two separate spells as a player at Feyenoord, at the beginning and end of his career, netting 46 goals in 122 appearances for the club. After retiring, he served as an assistant coach under Dick Advocaat and worked with the club's youth teams. He left to take charge of Heerenveen in May 2024 but returned to Feyenoord just nine months later.
The former striker spent eight years at Arsenal from 2004, helping them win the FA Cup, before joining Manchester United in 2012, where he clinched the Premier League title in his debut season at Old Trafford.
