Tottenham Hotspur will have to continue their managerial search after Feyenoord’s Arne Slot fell out of contention for the job. On Thursday, the manager informed the north London outfit that he will remain with the Dutch side. Spurs had previously targeted Slot, and Feyenoord was even worried that he would jump ship.
Coach clears the air with official statement
The coach, via representatives, issued a statement on the ordeal to Sky Sports on Thursday. “I have been hearing a lot of rumors going around about other clubs’ interest in me,” said Slot. “Although I am thankful, my wish is to stay at Feyenoord and continue working on what we created last year.”
“There is not – and there has not – been transfer conversation and yesterday’s meeting [with Feyenoord] was exclusively for an extension. All talks with the club have always been only in that sense. Looking forward to next season with Feyenoord.”
Despite that, the Daily Mail claims Slot was, in fact, open to joining Tottenham. It points to several facts that showed his interest. For one, a rift developed between Slot and the Feyenoord hierarchy as the manager failed to shoot down interest in the Spurs job. However, that would have cost Tottenham over $20 million to acquire the Dutch manager. His release clause was only around $10 million, but the price kept rising in recent days.
Tottenham insiders maintain that the fee for the manager did not scare the club away.
Arne Slot not the man for Tottenham
Tottenham’s current managerial chase seems similar to the team’s search in the summer of 2021. Ryan Mason finished the 2020/21 season as the club’s interim coach, just as he is doing this season. Then, Spurs spent months going from candidate to candidate before finally landing Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese manager ended up being a disaster. Nuno would only be at the helm for 17 total matches for Spurs.
Fast forward, and it has now been two months since Antonio Conte departed the club. Now with Slot off of the board, Spurs must continue its search even further. Luis Enrique reportedly remains a possibility for the Premier League club. However, the Spaniard has been linked with the Spurs job for months and nothing has materialized just yet.
Along with Enrique, there are suggestions that Spurs could target fellow Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui. The current Wolves boss may depart the club because of financial issues. Ange Postecoglou, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Brendan Rodgers could also be possible candidates for the job.
PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images
