Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has been told that the Tottenham Hotspur job is an ‘incredible’ opportunity but the struggles of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at the Premier League underachievers should be a cause for concern.
It’s all well and good hiring a coach who could bring proactive, aesthetically-pleasing, possession-based football to North London. But would Slot take over a set of players capable of carrying out his demands?
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, for instance, are not exactly the most technical of midfielders; the injured Rodrigo Bentancur the closest Spurs have to their own Orkun Kokcu.
And John Van’t Schip, formerly an assistant coach for the Netherlands national team, believes that – if Slot was to take over in North London – he must be given the time and the backing to build a squad in his own image.
Tottenham Hotspur like Feyenoord’s Eredivisie coach Arne Slot
“Sure, it’s an incredible job if he takes it on,” Van’t Schip tells ViaPlay. “It is a fantastic club if you look at the stadium and the possibilities here.
“But yes, all those other coaches of course also had that.”
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, two iconic tacticians who accumulated nearly 40 trophies between them during spells at Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus, failed to live up to expectations at Spurs; the closest they got to silverware when eating lunch in the club’s canteen.
Both will claim, however, that they were not given sufficient backing by unpopular chairman Daniel Levy.
“It is important that you make clear agreements. Slot also has certain types of players that he wants to play his game,” Van’t Schip adds.
“So he will want to buy and sell certain players when he comes. That will also be a process.”
Ryan Mason, Spurs third head coach of the season, saw his Spurs side fight back from 2-0 down to claim a draw at home to fellow Champions League chasers Manchester United on Thursday night.
Slot, meanwhile, is set to lead Feyenoord to only their second Eredivisie title since the turn of the Century. The Independent believe that the 44-year-old former AZ Alkmaar boss – labelled the ‘best coach in the world’ by one Feyenoord star – is Spurs chosen alternative to top priority Julian Nagelsmann.
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