Feyenoord’s director Dennis te Kloese has said that he has rejected an offer to buy out the contract of Arne Slot, according to ESPN. The report states that Te Kloese, speaking to ESPN Netherlands morning show Goedemorgen Eredivisie, said that Slot does not have a release clause in his contract, which expires in 2025, and that he expects that Slot will remain with Feyenoord next season.
“It’s not an option right now. I said ‘no’ and I also don’t have any interest. I’ve made the choice to work for Feyenoord and that is still a great honour. We have made really good steps last year and then to say: ‘Let’s hear what I can do for other clubs,’ is not an option for me. I want to be very clear: It will not happen.
“He still has a contract for two years. That has been said before and we have not been approached by any club. It is up to Arne to say something about that [his future]. But for us there is no ambiguity about it. We assume that he will remain the trainer of Feyenoord.
“He has a contract for two more years and this summer there is no release-clause in his contract, so we can say no if we want. And we have quite a good story here as well. Champions League next year, a lot of new players were signed last summer and they proved real good players in this team and their contracts also run for quite some years to come. So we have something here to look forward to.”
These are strong words from Te Kloese, but I anticipate that this is really just part of the negotiations. Feyenoord has leverage because Slot’s contract doesn’t have a release clause, so they can just refuse to enter into negotiations for Spurs to buy out his contract. However, it’s pretty rare that even reluctant clubs just flat out refuse to budge over their manager. Slot himself has some agency and he could push the issue if he really does want to leave for the Premier League, something he has said he is interested in.
Now, if Slot really does say no — and there’s precedent as he’s already turned down an approach from Leeds — then that’s a different situation. That said, we haven’t been given any indications that he has no interest in joining Spurs. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Previous reports said it would cost about £4.5m to buy out Slot’s contract and allow him to leave. Maybe Te Kloese’s reluctance would up that number. It is interesting that Spurs have contacted the club, but not directly to Slot. But if Tottenham are serious about him and Slot wants a move, I don’t see any way that it wouldn’t, eventually, happen.
Or, to put it another way — don’t freak out. This is all part of the game.
