During his Feyenoord days, Arne Slot considered signing former Tottenham and Everton attacker Arnaut Danjuma -just to tell him how bad he was when they met to discuss the move
Former Tottenham and Everton star Arnaut Danjuma once sat on the radar of Arne Slot and the attacker went to his house to discuss a possible movement – only to hear: “How bad he was” for an hour. That was during his Feyenoord days and there was never a movement.
Danjuma, who won six caps for the Netherlands, was in Villarreal who participated in the Champions League. Feyenoord came to beat when they tried to bring him back to his home country, but Slot was destructive in his assessment of the player.
Danjuma played in the Premier League for Bournemouth, Tottenham and Everton during his time. He is now back in Spain with Girona, but had countless conversations with the Liverpool -Baas as a movement was considered.
However, in a humiliating encounter, the attacker, who had become one of the leading lights in Villarreal, met Slot, but was not told in uncertain terms where his weaknesses were.
He said Ziggo Sport: “At that moment I had a really good conversation with Arne Slot. That was one of the many times that there was contact. It is just to indicate that it is very contextual. At that time I had the luxury of going to Arne Slot's house and listening to how bad I was. I never forgot.”
Although he had to face the music, Danjuma was powerful to impressed and the way he communicated with him. His prediction for him turned out to be where to be with the Dutchman Jurgen Klopp and winning the Premier League in his first year, despite a few Tippen Liverpool to land the title.
He said: “I actually thought that was very strong. It convinced me how good he is as a trainer. He opened his laptop and showed his plans and project. Everyone knew that lock would be a good trainer. He showed me my own game. What I did, but then I did what I could improve, whatever I could improve.
“His way of doing things, his way of acting and his way of talking, were all the things that make me think: this is someone I could play well. In the end I did not do it. At that time, Champions League football was also connected to it. So for me it is contextual.”
The calmness and smart tactics of Slot deserved enormous praise during his first year in England. The Dutchman made subtle tweaks to help the team he inherited from Klopp. Now, after the landing of the title, he looked around to evolve the team and was aggressive in the transfer market, which broke the British transfer record to Land Florian Wirtz.