Tottenham are on the brink of an agreement to make Arne Slot their next manager after reports in the Netherlands revealed just how close they were to agreeing a compensation package with Feyenoord.
It’s been a long and bumpy season for Spurs and they will be glad to see the season end on Sunday at Leeds. Now onto their third manager of the season, Ryan Mason will end his spell as interim in West Yorkshire at the weekend. He proceeds the ill-fated caretaker reign of Cristian Stellini, who took over himself from Antonio Conte.
But the next appointment is seen as one of the most crucial in Tottenham’s history.
Ironically, Sunday’s opponents Leeds also tried for Slot in January, only to be turned away. He wanted to see out the season with Feyenoord and help steer them to a first Eredivisie title since 2017. Did that he did – and in some style.
Now, though, the lure of Tottenham appears destined to take him away. And after Erik ten Hag last summer, he becomes the second Eredivisie title winning coach to quit for the Premier League.
Levy has honed in on Slot after efforts for Julian Nagelsmann, Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany all failed.
However, an agreement for Slot is now close, with reports in the Netherlands revealing Tottenham’s approach.
As relayed by Dutch radio channel, RTV Rijnmond, Slot has told his Feyenoord bosses he wishes to leave for Spurs.
The Dutch champions are reportedly seeking a compensation fee in the region of €20m (£17.4m). That would represent a new Dutch record.
As it stands, Spurs have reportedly offered around €15m (£13.05m), meaning they are now ‘around €5m short’.
Slot close to becoming next Tottenham manager
However, there is widespread acceptance that Tottenham are on the verge of the move with an ‘agreement reached’.
Moreover, Slot’s desires to leave for north London have been extremely clear. It’s reported that his agency have now informed Feyenoord, and specifically general manager Dennis te Kloese, that he ‘would like to leave for Tottenham’.
Feyenoord held long talks with Slot and his agent Rafaela Pimenta that he would like to ‘explore the possibilities’ of a move to Spurs. And there it has been made clear that there is a ‘much improved’ contract on the table.
The report concludes that ‘it cannot be ruled out that the Londoners are already willing to put the desired amount on the table in the short term’ to secure an agreement for Slot.
It now seems that an agreement is close, with Slot taking charge of his final Feyenoord game against Vitesse on Sunday.
As it stands, there is a widespread understanding over why Slot is preparing to quit Feyenoord for Spurs.
They are reportedly preparing to pay him a deal worth €10m a year, which equates to £165,000 a week. That is significantly more than his current salary and more than double the increased package the Dutch champions recently put to their manager.
He will reportedly sign an initial three-year deal in N17.
Now Dutch journalist Sjoerd Mossou, speaking to the Algemeen Dagblad football podcast, says everyone in the Netherlands understands why Slot is keen to make the move.
“It is a given that he will end up in a difficult situation. That was also the case with Feyenoord, but it is a bit different with Spurs,” Mossou said.
“I think that Spurs and the Premier League are of a different calibre. In the Netherlands, the differences are relatively smaller. Expectations are high at Spurs.
“Spurs hopes to become a bit like the third or fourth club in the Premier League. But how Arsenal are now with it, Chelsea coming back with all the money and Newcastle coming in. It seems like a decent job with a decent risk of damage.
“Spurs is a wonderful club with fantastic facilities and an incredible stadium. Of course, everyone understands the attraction. Perhaps only a seasoned Feyenoord supporter does not.”
