Tottenham Hotspur has ended their pursuit of Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot due to a breakdown in negotiations over his buy-out clause, reports Sky Sports News. Slot, who guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title, had emerged as the frontrunner to lead Tottenham from the 2023-24 season onwards.
While Slot had shown a willingness to leave Feyenoord for Spurs, he surprised many by announcing on Thursday morning that he would be staying with his current club and engaging in contract discussions.
Slot’s existing contract with Feyenoord still has two years remaining, which meant that the Dutch club would have been entitled to compensation had he departed this summer.
Sources suggest that Tottenham were informed they would need to pay a hefty £10 million to secure Slot’s release from his contract, in addition to another £5 million for his backroom staff.
Although Slot does have a £5 million release clause, it cannot be activated until 2024, requiring Tottenham to pay a significantly higher amount if they were to hire him this summer.
As a result of Feyenoord’s demands, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy apparently decided to terminate the negotiations, leading Spurs to believe that they were used by Slot to secure a more lucrative contract with his current club.
Slot himself stated that there had been no substantial talks with Tottenham, leaving the club still in search of a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, who left the position by mutual consent in March.
While Slot had risen to the top of Tottenham’s wish list after the club decided against pursuing Julian Nagelsmann, it is now rumoured that former manager Mauricio Pochettino is set to be unveiled as Chelsea’s new head coach.
Tottenham’s shortlist reportedly includes the likes of former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi, and Fulham’s Marco Silva for the managerial role, as they continue their quest to find the right candidate.
