The most impressive thing about Arne Slot that should convince Tottenham
By Gary Pearson
Arne Slot’s body of work has made him the frontrunner to take the helm at Tottenham, and there’s one specific aspect of his tenure at Feyenoord that should convince Daniel Levy to do whatever it takes to land the 44-year-old.
Slot is a progressive manager who perfectly balances employing an enterprising, attacking brand of football and a relentless, high-intensity collective defensive press.
The Feyenoord boss is also renowned for being a brilliant, inspirational man manager who builds steadfast relationships with his players while demanding the utmost respect.
There’s another aspect of his coaching tenure that will appeal greatly to Daniel Levy. Slot is renowned for providing younger and more inexperienced players with the platform to get meaningful match time.
He is also able to adapt and thrive in the face of stiff adversity.
In his first year in charge, Slot led Feyenoord to third place in the Eredivisie and the Europa Conference League final, where they lost to Jose Mourinho’s Roma 1-0. During that offseason, Feyenoord sold nine players, cashing in on the lion’s share of Slot’s attacking force.
Slot lost top scorer Luis Sinisterra to Leeds, Tyrell Malacia to Manchester United, Marcos Senesi to Bournemouth, and Frederik Aursnes to Benfica.
The Dutch manager had to rebuild most of his offensive unit and adapt to the mass exodus. He did so with aplomb as Feyenoord secured the 2022-23 Eredivisie title.
Slot’s ability to roll with the punches and rebuild a large chunk of the first team while avoiding the slightest on-field regression will have Levy licking his lips.
While Tottenham won’t be decimated and torn apart as much as Feyenoord, there will be ample personnel changes. The status of several first-team players, including Harry Kane, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier, Hugo Lloris, Arnaut Danjuma, and Davinson Sanchez, among others, is unknown.
Several first-team and fringe players will invariably depart Hotspur Way, placing the onus on the new manager to sort through the headache and find solutions. Slot has shown he not only treads water in such choppy conditions but swims like Ian Thorpe.
It’s a quality Tottenham direly needs their new head coach to embody. And it’s one of the primary reasons Spurs supporters would like to see Slot as the club’s new head coach.