Arne Slot speaks out after saying no to his first job since leaving Liverpool
Arne Slot recently shared that he decided to stop talks about becoming the new Netherlands national team coach, a job he could have taken after leaving Liverpool.
The Dutch coach left Liverpool after last season, which was a surprise for many. Liverpool didn’t manage to keep their Premier League title, finishing fifth, and they were knocked out of the Champions League in the round of 16. Some people questioned Slot’s coaching style, and even Mohamed Salah spoke out about it before Slot left the club.
Since May, Slot hasn’t taken on any new coaching role, but he did have talks with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) about replacing Ronald Koeman, who stepped down after the Netherlands lost to Morocco in the World Cup.
After thinking it over, Slot decided he wants to keep working in club football rather than switch to managing a national team right now. He also cleared up some rumors that he left because of money or contract issues, saying those talks never got that far.
Slot explained, “At this point in my career, I prefer being on the training ground with my players every day — something you don’t get with a national team. I have huge respect for the national team and the KNVB and enjoyed professional talks, but for now, club football is where I want to be. It would be an honor to coach my country someday, but this isn’t the right time.”
So, unlike Jurgen Klopp, who moved from Liverpool to manage Germany’s national team, Slot will stay in club football for now. Other big-name coaches like Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, and Thomas Tuchel are also managing national teams, while Pep Guardiola talked about the Italy job but declined it. Italy eventually picked Roberto Mancini to coach again after passing on Andrea Pirlo.