Former Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, has explained his decision to withdraw from consideration for the Netherlands national team coaching position, saying he currently prefers the demands of club football.
Slot had discussions with the Royal Dutch Football Association over the vacant position created by Ronald Koeman’s departure. However, the 47-year-old opted not to proceed with the process.
The Dutch coach also dismissed reports suggesting that disagreements over salary or the proposed contract length influenced his decision.
As reported by BBC Sport, Slot said, “Over the past few weeks, and particularly the past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration,” Slot said.
“That speculation is incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of the talks.”
Slot said his decision was largely driven by his desire to remain involved in the daily work of managing a club side.
“At this stage of my career, I prefer to see myself on the training pitch with my players every day. Something that is simply not possible in the same way with a national team,” he said.
He added, “And (this is) why I chose not to continue the talks and not to start negotiations on what a possible contract might look like.”
The former Feyenoord boss stressed that his decision should not be interpreted as a lack of interest or respect for the Netherlands national team or the KNVB.
“I have enormous respect for the national team and for the KNVB and can only be positive about the professional manner in which the talks proceeded that week,” he said.
“For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me.”
Slot, who guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in 2023, has left the door open to taking charge of the Netherlands at some point in the future.
“It would be a great honour to represent my country as national coach one day. However, this was not the right moment for me,” he added.
With Slot no longer in contention, reports in the Netherlands indicate that former Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is among the names being considered for the vacant role.
