Tottenham Hotspur sealed a 2-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend, which was their first win since parting ways with Antonio Conte on March 26th.
Cristian Stellini was appointed as the acting head coach until the north London club can bring in Conte’s permanent successor. Feyenoord’s Arne Slot is thought to be on their target list.
On April 5th, De Telegraaf stated Tottenham are interested in the 44-year-old, who has a deal until 2025. That includes a release clause which comes into effect in 2024. Therefore, Feyenoord will demand a Dutch ‘record amount’ of over €5m to part ways with him after this season.
ESPN Netherlands analyst Kenneth Perez, relayed by FR12.nl, has talked about the Dutchman moving to the Premier League side, when discussing his work at Feyenoord this season. They are leading the table, eight points ahead of Ajax.
“This trainer has made the whole difference at Feyenoord. They still say, ‘We’re doing really well.’ And that’s okay. The league remains the best prize. Then you are not only champion, but you also get much further as a club, because you see all those millions pouring in,” he said.
“Then the question is, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to offer Arne Slot a huge contract, which has never been seen in the Netherlands, or are you betting that you invest more in players and then with another trainer?”
“As a policymaker at Feyenoord, I would rather spend €10-15m on three years of Slot than invest it in three or four new players. In fact, you should give him a blank cheque.
Regarding a possible move to Tottenham, Perez explained: “If I were Slot, and Tottenham came along, I would go to Tottenham. But Slot has dropped that a departure would not be very convenient because of his children, who are in secondary school. That also says something about him. Maybe selfish, but if I could go to Tottenham, then we could also find a solution for the children.”
Former Feyenoord and Aston Villa midfielder Karim El Ahmadi has also backed Slot to join Tottenham, if they were to make an approach for him.
“Imagine that he goes to the semi-finals or the final of the Europa League, then the European club will also come. Not the absolute top, but Tottenham could. I believe in that,” El Ahmadi said.