Arne Slot clarifies position following Liverpool exit, with new statement
Former Liverpool manager Arne Slot has released a new statement to clarify his current status.
The Dutchman won Liverpool their 20th league title in his first season, after taking the reins from Jurgen Klopp – but his team struggled in their title defence, limping to fifth in the Premier League.
The former Liverpool boss has been linked with the Netherlands job in recent days and has spoken about his next moves and “incorrect speculation”.
Arne Slot clarifies position post Liverpool
Slot was given his marching orders on Merseyside at the end of the season, following a difficult campaign in which he fell out with talismanic forward Mohamed Salah and finished the season trophyless – despite a summer spend of over £400 million.
The 47-year-old has confirmed that he had talks with Dutch football federation, the KNVB, but that he declined to take over as the Oranje’s head coach from the outgoing Ronald Koeman, with the job now likely to go to Roberto Martinez.
“Over the past few weeks, and particularly the past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration,” Slot said, via Voetbal International.
“That speculation is incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of the talks.
“At this stage of my career, I prefer to see myself on the training pitch with my players every day. Something that is simply not possible in the same way with a national team.
“I have enormous respect for the national team and for the KNVB and can only be positive about the professional manner in which the talks proceeded that week. For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me.
“It would be a great honour to represent my country as national coach one day. However, this was not the right moment for me.”
Slot’s success in his first season on Merseyside made him a leading candidate for the Dutch job, following an excellent spell coaching in his homeland.
The Hardenberg native achieved success at Feyenoord by winning the Eredivisie and reaching the inaugural Conference League final, only to be beaten by Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
Slot left the Reds with a 58 per cent win ratio in 113 games. Liverpool take on Newcastle United when the season starts.
