Arne Slot has been mentioned as a possible contender to take over from Newcastle-bound Matthias Jaissle at Al Ahli, with his stance on new jobs revealed after his Liverpool exit
Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is on the hunt for his next job
Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is on the hunt for his next job(Image: Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot wants to remain in Europe when he takes his next job, despite interest from Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League.
The Asian Champions League winners are set to be in need of a new manager because Matthias Jaissle is expected to replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle. The Magpies boss stepped down earlier this week having taken the St. James' Park side as far as he could.
Slot was fired by Liverpool at the end of the season. He was swiftly replaced by Andoni Iraola and has also been touted as a contender for the Netherlands vacancy too following the exit of Ronald Koeman after the World Cup.
According to ESPN, while Slot is a top target for Al Ahli, he has no intention of making the move to the Middle East.
Earlier this week, Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez opened up about Slot's departure and how he learned of the Dutchman's dismissal.
"It was a big surprise," Kerkez explained. "I was back in Serbia, I was sleeping when my brother woke me up and showed me the news (about Slot).
Slot has no interest in going to Saudi Arabia
Slot has no interest in going to Saudi Arabia(Image: (Photo by GSI/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
"Nobody knew. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, 'Wow'. I have been in touch with him since and we have exchanged a few messages.
"Last season was tough for everyone. When you are here, you need to play to win things. We had moments when we fought back and then we had tough moments again.
"It wasn’t good for our standards. We need to improve this year."
Liverpool has already made a promising start to life under Iraola with a convincing 4-2 win over Sunderland in its first pre-season game last weekend. It followed that up with a narrow 1-0 victory over Wrexham.
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Liverpool.com says: While the Saudi league is not the highest level, Al Ahli is a big team with some major stars including summer signing Francisco Trincao, who moved from Sporting CP.
If there is an argument to go anywhere in that league, it is probably Al Ahli, with Jaissle's Premier League switch showing that it can be a decent stepping stone for up-and-coming coaches.
Having said that, Slot staying patient is no bad thing. If he gets the Netherlands job, that could make sense. He would take on Jurgen Klopp's Germany in September if it happens.