When Liverpool parted ways with Arne Slot at the end of May, it was always going to come with financial obligation.
The Dutchman had been dismissed a year before his contract was due to expire.
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That early exit entitled Slot to the remaining value of his agreement, and the question of what that actually means in euros has now become the talk of Dutch television.
With the Netherlands national team job open following Ronald Koeman’s departure after the 2026 World Cup, Slot has emerged as one of the frontrunners to take charge of the Oranje.
Talks between the former Liverpool head coach and the KNVB are reported to have already taken place.
Normally, compensation arrangements like Slot’s cease the moment a dismissed manager finds a new club. However, because this is a national team role rather than a club appointment, De Telegraaf reported on Monday that Liverpool are prepared to continue paying Slot’s compensation regardless.
The Reds are said to have appreciated Slot’s professional conduct in the days following his sacking.
That nuance hasn’t gone unnoticed in the Netherlands. Dutch television personality and former professional footballer René van der Gijp addressed the story on Today Inside – known in Dutch as Vandaag Inside – one the country’s most-watched daily talkshows.
Van der Gijp, a former PSV and Netherlands international winger who has become one of the most recognisable football analysts in the country, visibly amused by Liverpool’s stance and suggested the remaining payout to Slot is in region of €8 million:
“Why? Why would they do that,” he said. “That would be nice of them. That amounts to about eight million or so,” he says as quoted by Voetbal Primeur.
Whether the Netherlands job becomes a reality remains to be seen but Liverpool’s willingness to apparently not waive the compensation may prove a big actor in getting a deal done.