Arne Slot turned down the chance to join Leeds United because “not everyone is driven by money” when it comes to football.
That’s according to Feyenoord’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh anyway, who believes the Dutch coach wants to build something historic with his current side first.
Slot was heavily linked with the Leeds job over the last few weeks, with them on the hunt for Jesse Marsch’s replacement.
He had initially only appeared on a three-man shortlist but found himself the primary target after Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola made it clear he was not interested in the move to Elland Road.
That led Leeds to push for Slot, who has Feyenoord at the top of the Eredivisie this season despite a limited budget compared to other sides in the division.
Like Iraola, though, he wasn’t interested in the move to Elland Road, instead preferring to stay where he was and continue the fine work he has been doing this season.
Jahanbakhsh believes that has something to do with legacy and money not being quite as important as it is to some people.
“We are working on something special at Feyenoord, together we can achieve great things,” Feyenoord Pings report him saying.
“By timing I mean that it is better to go when you have really left something behind at a club. Legacy, that’s what we are working on.
“Not everyone is driven by money. Feyenoord is a big club, but how many times has there been a championship to celebrate? Twice in the last 25 years, right?
“I can imagine the coach wants to be champions, we players want that too. Besides, we can win the cup and we are still in the Europa League. So much to play for.
“You never know for sure if the chance will come again That makes it hard to say no. But if you have confidence in your qualities and you dare to be patient, there will always be another chance. Personally, I think Arne Slot wants to win a prize with Feyenoord.”
