Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan believes that Arne Slot had his heart set on a move to Tottenham but Feyenoord decided to dig their heels in to ensure he stays.
Until 24 hours ago, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before Arne Slot was announced as the new Tottenham head coach.
(Photo by Pim Waslander/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Football Insider had reported on Wednesday that Feyenoord were resigned to losing their head coach to Spurs and asserted that the negotiations between the North London club and the 44-year-old were advancing well.
However, out of the blue, the move collapsed on Thursday morning, with the Dutch coach confirming that he will stay put at De Kuip (Dan Kilpatrick).
90 min reported soon after the deal collapsed that Feyenoord demanded compensation of £17.5 for Slot as well as his assistants, which Tottenham had no intention of paying.
Van der Kraan has now claimed that the Eredivisie champions actually demanded £20m, thus stopping Slot from fulfilling his desire of moving to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The journalist told talkSPORT: “It looked all week like he would join Tottenham Hotspur.
“He was the number one candidate after Xabi Alonso said he wasn’t coming. His agent Rafaela Pimenta was in talks with Tottenham and she made it clear he was happy to come.
“Feyenoord said he was the most popular, best manager we’ve ever had. He’s brought us to the Champions League, we want to keep him and if Tottenham want him they will have to go up to £20million.
“With that in the back of his mind, it was becoming a very difficult situation for the manager. Also, they [Feyenoord] offered him a brand new contract with huge wages.
“Late last night, the manager decided well, if I can’t get out, I’ll sign a new contract here.”
When asked if Slot wanted the Spurs job, Van der Kraan responded: “Absolutely, he was really keen on moving.
“He had given his word to Pimenta to start negotiations to speak to Spurs. He was really enthusiastic about the Premier League, he made that clear.
“This is why it’s a massive turnaround that both parties, Feyenoord and Slot, agreed to sign a new contract and not to go to Spurs. I think deep down in his heart, that’s where he wanted to go [Spurs].”
Spurs Web Opinion
Although it is Feyenoord who seems to have caused the deal to collapse by making unrealistic demands, unfortunately for Tottenham, it will once again be perceived by the public as a failure on their part.
One can argue that Spurs should have just bit the bullet and paid the compensation that Feyenoord were demanding but at the same time, it is important to point out that paying £20m to sign a manager from the Dutch league would have been unprecedented.
Have something to tell us about this article?
