Feyenoord boss Arne Slot ‘agrees’ to join Tottenham

Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has ‘reportedly reached an agreement to become Tottenham manager.’

The 44-year-old led the Dutch side to the Eredivisie title this year and has been linked with Spurs for some time. 

They have been without a permanent manager since parting ways with Antonio Conte in March, a period that has seen the fall out of Champions League contention to eighth in the league.

It appears a solution has been found, with De Telegraaf reporting that the manager is keen to join the North London club, and that talks are ongoing.

They also claim his release clause is around ‘£6 million’, with Feyenoord unwilling to part ways with a winning manager.

Despite this, Slot recently spoke candidly of his future prospects.

‘My departure can also be good for the club,’ he said to ESPN, ‘but if there is no dream club then I will stay. In football it is commonplace that you talk to clubs. I am not saying that I have done it now, but it is not forbidden that I talk to other clubs.’ 

Feyenoord chief Dennis te Kloese said at the time that Slot had not been approached by Tottenham, but it appears talks have progressed since then.

He would not be the first successful Dutch coach to join a top Premier League club, after Erik ten Hag joined Manchester United last summer after winning three league titles with Ajax.

The 53-year-old has already secured the league cup in his first season at Old Trafford and will have a shot at another trophy in the FA Cup final, while United also look set to secure Champions League football. 

Slot, who was approached by Leeds earlier this season but opted to stay in Rotterdam, began his coaching career with AZ in 2019 following a two-decade playing career, and moved to Feyenoord in 2021.

He took them to the Europa Conference League final in his first season in charge, before securing a first league title since 2017 in his second. 

For Tottenham, appointing Slot could help the club get back to basics after a chastening season, but as Tom Collomosse has written, they will need to ensure the right people are put around him to avoid mistakes made with other recent managers.

Cristian Stellini was the first post-Conte manager at Spurs earlier this season, but he left the role following a 6-1 defeat to Newcastle in his sixth game in charge.

Ryan Mason has led the side since and performances have improved, but Spurs have taken just one win from five games under the 31-year-old, who is generally considered too inexperienced for such a big role.

Tottenham have won game remaining this season as they travel to Leeds on the final day of the season.

If results go their way, they could rise to seventh in the table, but it will be a tough game against Sam Allardyce’s relegation-threatened side.