Arne Slot enjoyed a dream first season in Anfield, winning the Premier League title, but things could have been different if he had received an offer from England
Arne Slot has revealed that he has rejected the chance of managing Tottenham before he agreed to become Liverpool -and that he also had secret conversations about taking over another Mystery Premier League club.
Slot had admitted that he was seriously considering taking an offer to leave Feyenoord for Spurs before the North London club appointed Ange Postecoglou two years ago – only for his family to convince him not to go.
And the Dutchman also confirmed that he was in a discussion with another top club – supposed to be Chelsea – and that they progressed to the stage in which he gave an in -depth explanation about his tactical approach to the game.
In an interview with a group of journalists from the Netherlands, Slot said: “Not going to Spurs was 99 percent a family decision.
“I even told my children that they could easily visit me in London during the school holidays. My daughter said she wanted to spend time with her friends during school holidays.
“I thought it was moving directly from Feyenoord to Spurs, a big problem – because who goes from Feyenoord directly to Tottenham?
“At Spurs and another club – I will not mention the name myself – I had to give a presentation, explain my tactical approach and compete with other coaches.”
Slot decided to stay with Rotterdam Giants Feyenoord. But when Liverpool contacted him about the follow -up of Jurgen Klopp, the temptation of Anfield was impossible to resist – and has now won the Premier League title in his first season in England.
Slot, however, asked for guarantees from the Reds that he was the only candidate they had approached about accepting the job.
He added: “When Liverpool came last season, everything was completely different. Nothing surpasses Liverpool.
“I told my agent, Rafaella Pimenta, that I wanted to know if I was the only candidate. If that wasn't the case, I don't know if I would have experienced it.
“Liverpool acted completely differently. Sports director Richard Hughes came to visit me and I was surprised by how much he already knew about me.
“A few months earlier (technical director) Julian Ward had called me. I knew him from the moment he was responsible for the borrowed players of Liverpool.
“He told me he did a tour of Europe, visited clubs. He asked if he could come and watch me. Later I realized that his visit was a different purpose. It shows how meticulously Liverpool is in their approach.”
Liverpool -captain Virgil van Dijk will lift the Premier League trophy after the last game of the season against Crystal Palace on Sunday after the Reds turned into the title race into a procession.
They are 11 points free of the second placed arsenal, even though they have only taken a point of the three games they have played since he won the crown with a 5-1 hammering of traces.
Slot admitted that winning the title this season was not even on the agenda. He said: “It was never about the competition title. I had to secure the qualification for the Champions League – but that was already the case under Jurgen Klopp.”