Feyenoord insists there is ‘NO request’ from Tottenham Hotspur for Arne Slot – as Dutch club director Dennis te Kloese warns, the in-demand manager has ‘a contract for two more years and this summer there is no release clause’
- Feyenoord coach Arne Slot is a big contender to become manager of Tottenham
- The national champion says that there has been no rapprochement by the club
- Feyenoord director Dennis te Kloese says he has rejected a role with the Spurs
Feyenoord director Dennis te Kloese has said the champions have not received any approach from Tottenham for head coach Arne Slot, but claims to have turned down his own offer to join the club.
Tottenham are said to have increased their interest in Slot in recent days. with the Dutchman seen as one of the most exciting up and coming managers in Europe.
said Te Kloese ESPN Netherlands‘ morning show ‘Good morning Eredivisie’ that the club is not yet approached by the Spurs.
The Feyenoord official added that Slot had previously turned down a move to Leeds earlier this season.
“No, there is no request from Tottenham (for Slot),” Te Kloese said.
Feyenoord says there has been no approach from Tottenham Hotspur for head coach Arne Slot
Slot is a contender to become Tottenham’s next boss after leading Feyenoord to the Dutch title
“In February there was concrete interest from Leeds United, but we and Arne said ‘no’ to that. Arne didn’t want to go to Leeds and I think that was a very good decision.
‘We’ve come a long way with Arne, broke his contract (renegotiated) last year. We are more than satisfied with him and if there is interest in him we will hear about it.
‘He [Slot] has two years left on his contract and this summer there is no escape clause in his contract, so we can say no if we want.
‘Here too we have quite a good story. Next year in the Champions League, last summer a lot of new players have been signed and they have turned out to be really good players in this team and their contract will also run for a number of years.’
Slot led the Rotterdam club to their Eredivisie title last week, with the 44-year-old refusing to comment on reports linking him to Tottenham ahead of their game with Emmen on Sunday.
Feyenoord recorded a 3-1 victory over Emmen, with the Dutch team completing the season against Vitesse next weekend.
Slot has admitted that he sees his next step abroad, where the coach has labeled the Premier League as the ‘biggest league in the world’.
“The next step will not be another club in the Netherlands, if that is the next step and if I fail completely in the coming years,” said Slot.
Finally, Feyenoord led Feyenoord to a 3-1 win over Emmen on Sunday in their penultimate game of the season
Feyenoord director Dennis te Kloese, centre, says he turned down offer to join Spurs
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is looking for a new manager and sporting director
“The normal next step would be to go abroad and I’ve always said the best league in the world is the Premier League, but when it comes to Italy you see a few clubs playing in European finals now.
“There are more countries where it is interesting to go in the future, but the Premier League is the biggest competition in the world, that is clear.”
Feyenoord are looking to offer Slot a new contract worth more than £2.5 million a year to secure their highly regarded coach.
Slot, who would cost £6 million in damages, knows he can earn much more at Spurs.
Te Kloese also claimed he rejected an approach from Tottenham with Spurs seeking a sporting director to replace Fabio Paratici.
Paratici, the club’s former general manager, resigned in April after losing an appeal against his global football ban.
“It’s not an option now,” Te Kloese told ESPN. “I said no and I’m not interested.
‘I made the choice to work for Feyenoord and that is still a great honour. We made very good progress last year and then saying: ‘Let’s see what I can do for other clubs’ is not an option for me. I want to be very clear: it’s not going to happen.’
Te Kloese became director at Feyenoord last January, having previously spent four years as general manager of MLS side LA Galaxy.
The 48-year-old had held the same role with the Mexico national men’s team between 2014 and 2018, having worked for clubs in the country.