Former Liverpool head coach, Arne Slot, has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to become Netherlands manager because he wants his next role to be in club football.
47-year-old Slot confirmed he held talks with the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) over the vacant position but chose not to continue the process after deciding that he would rather work with players on a daily basis.
The Dutchman also dismissed reports that he withdrew from the talks because of disagreements over salary or the length of a potential contract.
“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past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration,” Slot told Voetbal International.
“That speculation is incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of the talks.”
Slot said his preference at this stage of his career is to remain involved in club football, where he can work with his players regularly on the training ground.
“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.
“And (this is) why I chose not to continue the talks and not to start negotiations on what a possible contract might look like.
“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.”
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Although Slot has rejected the position for now, he said he could still consider becoming Netherlands manager later in his career.
“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.
Slot won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord in 2023 before moving to Liverpool, where he guided the club to their 20th league title in his first season.
He was subsequently dismissed on 30 May after Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League.
The Netherlands job became vacant after Ronald Koeman stepped down following the team’s elimination from the 2026 World Cup by Morocco in a last-32 penalty shootout in June.
The KNVB is continuing its search for Koeman’s successor, with former Portugal manager Roberto Martinez reportedly in talks with the Dutch football authorities.
