Arne Slot, the 47-year-old Dutch tactician who was sacked by Liverpool barely a month ago, has emerged as the front-runner to take over the Netherlands national football team. Ronald Koeman resigned after the Oranje were bounced from the 2026 World Cup by Morocco in a Round of 32 penalty shootout, and the KNVB is now running a coaching search led by technical director Nigel de Jong.
The coaching situation
Slot’s credentials are hard to argue with. He led Feyenoord to an Eredivisie title in the 2022-23 season, then crossed the Channel to Liverpool where he won the Premier League in 2024-25. The fact that Liverpool still let him go after a disappointing follow-up campaign tells you everything about the volatility of top-level football management.
Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan has described Slot as the “ideal candidate” for the national team role. Bookmakers appear to agree, installing him as the public’s dream pick ahead of other names like Erik ten Hag.
Speculation around Slot’s candidacy intensified between July 1-4, with competing rumors about a potential return to Feyenoord also circulating.
