Arne Slot confirms he has decided to snub Tottenham and stay at Feyenoord
Arne Slot has announced that he will continue as Feyenoord manager despite a lucrative approach from Tottenham.
Spurs parted company with Antonio Conte two months ago and have conducted a thorough search to find a new manager who can bring attacking, entertaining football back to north London.
After links with Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique, Slot emerged as the clear favourite after helping Feyenoord secure the Eredivisie title with two games to spare.
On Wednesday, the 44-year-old’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, met with Feyenoord general manager Dennis te Kloese where she is believed to have held lengthy talks about a possible move to Tottenham.
But Te Kloese, who has already rejected an approach from Spurs to be their director of football, has been adamant that Slot will not be allowed to leave unless they receive a mammoth fee in excess of £17million.
It now appears a move to Tottenham has collapsed, with Slot reaffirming his commitment to Feyenoord on Thursday morning.
‘I’ve heard a lot about other clubs’ interest in me,’ he told Algemeen Dagblad.
‘I am grateful for the appreciation this expresses, but my wish is to stay with Feyenoord and continue to build on the foundation that has been laid over the past two seasons.
‘There are no transfer talks [about a switch to Spurs] and there haven’t been any. Yesterday’s discussion was exclusively about a possible extension.
‘All talks with Feyenoord are only aimed at that. I look forward to the new season at Feyenoord.’
The Dutch club are believed to have offered Slot a new contract worth around £2.5million a season, a figure that represents one of the most lucrative deals in the club’s history even if he could earn significantly more at Spurs.
Feyenoord will be competing in the Champions League next season and that may also have played a part in Slot’s decision, with Tottenham needing results to go their way just to land a Europa Conference League spot.
Spurs, who are still searching for a new director of football to replace Fabio Paratici, will now need to go back to the drawing board in their search for a new permanent manager, while their latest head coach hunt is quickly drawing parallels with the ill-fated search that ultimately resulted in Nuno Espirito Santo’s appointment in the summer of 2021.
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