Feyenoord boss Arne Slot REJECTS the Tottenham manager’s job and reveals he wants to stay in Holland despite talks with agent Rafaela Pimenta… leaving Daniel Levy short on options
- Mail Sport understood Slot was Spurs chief Daniel Levy’s top managerial target
- But the 44-year-old will not be heading to England this summer, he has revealed
- Instead, Slot has promised to build on his Dutch title success with Feyenoord
Tottenham managerial target Arne Slot says he wants to stay at Feyenoord next season.
The Dutchman had held exploratory talks over a move to bring Slot to the Premier League next season.
Slot, together with his agent Rafaela Pimenta, met with Feyenoord chiefs on Wednesday for crucial talks with regards his future.
Mail Sport revealed last week that the Eredivise club would offer Slot a new contract worth over £2.5million a year.
And Slot, following talks with Feyenoord, says it is his intention to stay in Holland.
Arne Slot has revealed he is staying at Feyenoord this summer in a major blow for Tottenham
The 44-year-old has promised to ‘continue working on what we created last year’ at Feyenoord
Slot’s decision is a huge setback for Spurs chairman Daniel Levy (right), who had identified him as their No 1 target to replace Antonio Conte this summer
‘I have been hearing a lot of rumours going around about other clubs’ interest in me. Although I am thankful, my wish is to stay at Feynoord and continue working on what we created last year,’ he said.
‘Yesterday’s meeting was exclusively for an extension. All talks with the club have always been only in that sense. I’m looking forward to next season with Feyenoord.’
Slot has a £5million release clause in his Feyenoord contract, although it cannot be triggered until next summer.
According to De Telegraaf, the Dutch champions were demanding around £17million (€20million) in compensation for Spurs to take their manager and three members of his backroom team in assistants Marino Pusic and Sipke Hulshoff and performance coach Ruben Peeters.
It is believed that asking price made talks ‘very complicated’ as the two parties continued negotiations on Wednesday night.
Now those negotiations appear to have hit a definitive snag, meaning Slot will not be heading to the Premier League this summer.
The former Eredivisie midfielder has spent close to two years with Feyenoord, guiding them to a third-place finish and the Europa Conference League final in his debut campaign before winning the Dutch title this season. He previously enjoyed a 17-month spell in charge of AZ Alkmaar.
Reports claim Feyenoord wanted £17m for Spurs to take Slot and his assistants Marino Pusic (right) and Sipke Hulshoff (left), as well as performance coach Ruben Peeters
The Dutch champions, who won the title earlier this month, were desperate for Slot and his backroom team to remain in charge this summer
His decision to remain in charge of Feyenoord also comes as a surprise given his recent suggestion that leaving the club may be what’s best for all parties.
In an interview with ESPN, Slot explained that he wanted to resolve questions surrounding his future quickly for the benefit of both himself and Feyenoord, while adding that he had turned down an approach to takeover at Leeds following Jesse Marsch’s sacking.
‘Everyone needs clarity quickly. I cancelled Leeds in the winter and now I’m staying or leaving,’ he said.
‘My departure can also be good for the club, but if there is no dream club then I will stay. In football it is commonplace that you talk to clubs. I am not saying that I have done it now, but it is not forbidden that I talk to other clubs.’
Spurs must now turn their focus to a new candidate, with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann and Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim also linked with the job in recent weeks.
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