Questions about his imminent appointment as Liverpool manager are becoming a drag for Dutchman Arne Slot as he prepares to lead Feyenoord through the final weeks of the season.
He will celebrate his 100th match in charge of the Dutch side on Sunday but his pre-match press conference was again dominated by his impending move to replace Juergen Klopp at Liverpool.
“For the 25th time, I really can’t answer it,” he said.
“There is nothing official yet and I am sitting here with a Feyenoord emblem on my chest, so the intention is for this press conference to be about Feyenoord, but I think you will try (and ask about Liverpool) anyway,” he quipped.
“I still have the confidence that things will turn out well, but I really can’t give any further answers,” was the only concession he made to questions about moving to the Premier League.
“If this continues, this will be an unpleasant press conference,” Slot said. “I just think it’s appropriate to give all the answers to these questions at the end of the season, because I’m still busy with Feyenoord here and Liverpool are also still busy with their season.”
Asked whether he should be congratulated on being offered one of the most sought after managerial jobs in football, Slot said; “You can always congratulate me, but it is most appropriate to do so at the end of the season when it is really official.”
Slot was asked to confirm reports he had visited England during the week.
“I was in Italy with my daughter, otherwise I wouldn’t have such a nice tan,” he said.
Slot has spent three season at Feyenoord, winning the Dutch league last season and they are heading for second place in this campaign.
“We have made incredible progress. When I started here, we received 5.5 million euros for our striker and we were able to invest just about that amount,” he said.
“Now we are going into the Champions League for the second season in a row and the money is a lot more.”
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Ed Osmond)
