Slot rejected the bench of the Netherlands. The new candidate is Dalić’s friend

The Dutch national team was left without a coach after the Dutch were eliminated in the round of 16 by Morocco in a penalty shootout, and Ronald Koeman resigned after the defeat. Since then, the leadership of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KVNB) has been searching for his successor, and Slot was one of the candidates.

– During the last few weeks, and especially the last few days, there have been various reports about the vacant position in the Dutch national team, suggesting that I withdrew from the process after long negotiations, which included discussions about salary and contract duration. Those guesses are incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of negotiations – said Slot to the Dutch online portal Voetbal International.

Slot stated that at the moment, professionally, he is more attracted to working in a club.

– 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 the national team. For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me – said the coach who, before coming to Liverpool with Feyenoord, was the champion of the Netherlands in 2023.

However, Slot did not reject the possibility of taking over the leadership of the Dutch national team at some point.

– It would be a great honor for me to one day represent my country as a selector. However, this was not the right moment for me – he adds.

According to reports in the Dutch media, KNVB representatives are now in negotiations with the former Belgian and Portuguese coach, a 53-year-old Spanish expert. Roberto Martinez. After the defeat in the round of 16 of this year’s World Cup against Spain (1-0), he resigned as coach of the Portuguese national team. By the way, Martinez has a very good relationship with the former coach of the Croatian national football team, Zlatko Dali.