Arne Slot has confirmed he held talks with the KNVB over the vacant Netherlands head coach role, but says he withdrew from the process because he would rather continue working in club football for now.
Speculation over salary talks dismissed
The former Liverpool boss told Voetbal International that reports suggesting he had pulled out of discussions with the Royal Dutch Football Association over a disagreement on salary and contract length were wide of the mark.
“There have been several reports in recent weeks and especially in the past few days about the vacancy at the Dutch national team, in which it was suggested that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including over salary and the duration of the contract,” Slot said. “That speculation is incorrect. We simply never got to that stage of the talks.”
Why Slot said no
The Netherlands job has been vacant since Ronald Koeman departed following the country’s penalty shootout defeat to Morocco at the World Cup, a result that saw them exit in the round of 32.
Slot, who won the Premier League with Liverpool in the 2024-25 season before being sacked earlier this summer after a fifth-place finish, explained that his preference to be on the training ground daily was behind his decision.
“At this stage of my career, I prefer to see myself on the training field 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 about what a possible contract could look like.”
Door left open for the future
Slot was clear that he has not shut down the possibility of taking charge of his national team at some point down the line.
“I have a lot of respect for the national team and for the KNVB and can only be positive about the professional way in which the talks went that week. For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me,” Slot added. “It would be a great honour to represent my country as national coach one day. This was just not the right time for me.”
