Arne Slot has made a confession about when Tottenham Hotspur were interested in hiring him as their new manager and his decision changed the course of the club’s history.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have not always had the best relationship. From Moussa Sissoko’s alleged handball in the Champions League final to Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota being sent off during a 2-1 Spurs victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there has always been drama when the two sides clash.
However, even the most diehard Spurs supporters should be able to appreciate Arne Slot as a manager. The Dutchman arrived at Anfield after a third-place finish in the Premier League and the season before, Jurgen Klopp’s men sat in fifth at the end of the campaign.
This did not prevent Slot from winning the league title in his first season as manager, yet it could have been a very different story if he had accepted a previous job offer from North London.
Arne Slot
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Arne Slot would have loved to become Tottenham manager
Ange Postecoglou was not the only name floating about when Spurs were searching for a manager two summers ago. Many will remember that Slot, who managed Feyenoord at the time, was also linked with the job. In fact, a number of supporters were in favour of bringing him to North London.
Slot instead signed a new contract at the Eredivisie outfit, but he has revealed that he would have loved to become the new Tottenham manager. However, some things are bigger than football and there was an obstacle which prevented Slot from taking on the role.
Slot told the Dutch author Mikos Gouka, in his biography Arne Slot: The New Era (Independent): “The fact I didn’t go to Spurs was 99 per cent a family decision. We talked a lot and I told my kids it would be great to come and visit me in London during the school holidays, though my daughter said she might want to go do things with her friends sometimes.
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“I’d have loved to have gone to Spurs, because who goes straight from Feyenoord to Tottenham, but when Liverpool approached me last season it was very different.”
Spurs losing out on Slot worked out in the end
Certain things happen which seem unfavourable at the time, but turn out to be a good thing. Heung-min Son’s miss against Manchester City comes to mind, one which cost Tottenham a spot in the Champions League. However, this paved the way for Spurs to be placed in the Europa League and we all know what happened next.
In a similar way, by missing out on Slot, Tottenham were able to hire Postecoglou, another key component in the Europa League triumph.
Of course, Slot himself could have had success at Spurs, but there is no way of knowing. Therefore, it is unlikely anyone at Tottenham is too bothered about failing to land the Dutch manager.
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