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Tottenham Hotspur Chairman, Daniel Levy, has been dealt a huge blow in his quest for a new manager with his number one choice ruling himself out of the running. According to reports in recent days, Levy had been closing in on securing the services of Feyenoord boss, Arne Slot, however, the Dutchman has released a statement today which has put those rumours to bed.
After holding talks with Feyenoord over a new contract today, Slot distanced himself from leaving by telling SkySportsNews the following:
“I have been hearing a lot of rumours going around about other interest in me. Although I am thankful, my wish is to stay at Feyenoord and continue working on what we created last year.
There is not – and there has not been – transfer conversation and yesterday’s meeting was exclusively for an extension. All talks with the club have always been only in that sense. Looking forward to next season with Feyenoord.”
Slot had been Levy’s primary target after the 44-year-old led Feyenoord to their first league title in six years this season. He had also been linked with the Leeds United job earlier in the year when Jesse Marsch was sacked but it appears that, for now at least, he will continue to ply his trade in the Eredivisie.
Where Levy goes from here?
Following a disappointing season on all fronts, Levy took the decision to sack Antonio Conte at the end of March. Instead of pursuing a new manager straight away, Levy decided to stick with Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini until the end of the season, so that he could plan ahead and get the right man in for the summer.
However, that plan went sideways almost immediately when results continued to nosedive under the Italian. Following a 6-1 defeat away at Newcastle, Levy sacked Stellini and instructed Ryan Mason to take the reigns until the summer.
🚨 Arne Slot stays at Feyenoord and will not sign as Tottenham coach #THFC
“I have read the rumors, but it is my wish stay at Feyenoord and to continue what we’ve built over the past two seasons”, tells @ADnl.
“My wish is to stay, continue working on what we created last year”. pic.twitter.com/HobDIkkrRS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 25, 2023
With Mason negotiating the club’s run-in with mixed success, Levy had been keen to get the managerial situation sorted before the end of the season. However, after a knock-back from Julian Nagelsmann, the rejection from Slot will hurt even more, especially as it will give the Spurs faithful even more ammunition to use against him.
Following the rejection from Slot, the current favourite for the position with bookmakers is Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou. The 57-year-old has done a fantastic job at Celtic Park since taking over two years ago and looks ready for the step up to the Premier League. The second favourite is ex-Leicester manager, Brendan Rodgers, who is also being linked with the Leeds United job.
A situation that needs to be resolved quickly
With the club currently without a manager, the captain looking to leave, and Harry Kane’s contract nearing the end, it’s arguably the biggest summer of Daniel Levy’s tenure as Spurs Chairman. While he is known for being a shrewd negotiator, there is a feeling that he will do exceptionally well to keep hold of Kane this time around considering the disarray at the club.
The England forward has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in recent months and should their takeover be resolved in the coming weeks, a heavy assault on the Spurs number ten is expected to commence almost immediately.
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