Former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed his next job will be in club football, despite holding talks with the KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) over the Netherlands vacancy.
Slot has been out of work since parting company with Liverpool at the end of May, though he was tipped as a surprise contender for the Fulham job prior to Alvaro Arbeloa's appointment. More recently, there have been suggestions that Slot will become the next Netherlands head coach, succeeding Ronald Koeman who left the role after the World Cup round of 32 exit against Morocco.
Statement on Netherlands talks
However, amid reports he had withdrawn from talks with the KNVB after a dispute over his contract, Slot has issued a statement to set the record straight. In an interview with Voetbal International, he 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past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration."
"That speculation is incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of the talks. 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. And (this is) why I chose not to continue the talks and not to start negotiations on what a possible contract might look like."
Preference for club football
Slot expressed respect for the national team and the KNVB, saying: "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. For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me."
He added: "It would be a great honour to represent my country as national coach one day. However, this was not the right moment for me."
