Arne Slot sensationally rejects Tottenham job as reasons for snub emerge; three new candidates in frame for Levy
Tottenham’s hunt for a new manager has taken a dramatic turn after Feyenoord coach Arne Slot has confirmed he has rejected their approach and will remain with the Dutch club for the forseeable future.
The north London giants had honed in on the appointment of the 44-year-old after hitting a dead end with all previous targets. Indeed, their interest in Julian Naglesmann, Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany had all amounted to nothing.
And with Luis Enrique and Roberto De Zerbi also rejecting approaches, it seemed they were finally making progress with Slot.
Indeed, overnight reports suggested a deal to bring him to Spurs was close to being agreed. And with chairman Daniel Levy in talks over a compensation package, it was suggested it was a case of when, not if, Slot would move.
However, Slot, who won the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord this season, is staying with the Rotterdam side.
Speaking to Algemeen Dagblad, Slot has revealed he is staying put.
“I have heard a lot about the interest of other clubs in me,” Slot began.
“I’m grateful for the appreciation that this expresses, but my wish is to stay with Feyenoord. I want to continue to build on the foundations that have been laid over the past two seasons.
“There are no transfer talks going on and there have been none and yesterday’s discussion was solely about a possible extension. All conversations with Feyenoord are only aimed at that.
“I look forward to the new season at Feyenoord.”
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Arne Slot disappoints Tottenham
Per reports, Slot could have earned a deal worth €10m a year at Spurs – around £165,000 a week. And even though Feyenoord’s extension will be worth around half that, it seems he intends to stay loyal.
Per reports, Tottenham needed a fee of around €20m to lure Slot, his coaches Marino Pusic and Sipke Hulshoff, along with performance coach Ruben Peeters, to the club.
Levy’s initial offer was believed to be around €15m, with the difference not expected to be a problem.
However, Slot now appears to have rejected their advances and irrespective of Levy’s plans to make up the difference.
It leaves Tottenham, and an increasingly desperate Levy, to go back to the drawing board.
The process to appoint Antonio Conte’s successor first started in early March. That was before even the Italian was fired, with Fabio Paratici drawing up a shortlist of candidates to become their new boss.
Conte left on March 26 and was replaced first by his assistant Cristian Stellini and then by Ryan Mason.
Spurs face Leeds United at Elland Road in their final match of the Premier League campaign. It was hoped the appointment of Slot would be announced shortly after the game to help prepare for what is surely a busy summer of transfers.
Three new candidates emerge to become next Tottenham manager
However, it is now back to square one for Levy and Co.
Per reports, the club do have three other candidates in mind. And it seems Levy could make a fresh approach to try and lure Luis Enrique to the club.
They held talks with the Spaniard earlier this month before narrowing their search down to Nagelsmann.
However, the former Barcelona boss is still without a job and could come back into the equation. He has since been linked with Napoli amid claims that Luciano Spalletti could leave.
Indeed, Spalletti could yet become an option for Spurs should he walk away. The 64-year-old is heralded after recently guiding Napoli to a first Scudetto in 33 years and his deal is due to expire in summer 2024.
A third option could see Tottenham turn to former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.
The 50-year-old was recently sacked by Leicester after failing to steer them away from relegation danger. But he is a two-time title winner with Celtic and carries an impressive 51.5% win ratio from 689 games in management.
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