‘I went to Arne Slot’s house to discuss a transfer – he just told me how bad I was!’

During his Feyenoord days Arne Slot considered signing former Tottenham and Everton forward Arnaut Danjuma – only to tell him how bad he was when they met to discuss the move

Former Tottenham and Everton star Arnaut Danjuma was once on Arne Slot’s radar and the forward went to his house to discuss a possible move – only to be told “how bad he was” for an hour. That was during his Feyenoord days and a move never materialised.

Danjuma, who has won six caps for the Netherlands, was at Villarreal who were competing in the Champions League. Feyenoord came knocking as they sought to bring him back to his homeland, but Slot was scathing in his assessment of the player.

Danjuma played for Bournemouth, Tottenham and Everton during his time in the Premier League. He’s now back in Spain with Girona but had numerous conversations with the Liverpool boss as a move was considered.

However in a humbling meeting the forward, who had become one of the leading lights at Villarreal, met Slot but was told in no uncertain terms where his weaknesses were.

He told Ziggo Sport: “At that time I had a really good conversation with Arne Slot. That was one of many times that there was contact. It’s just to indicate that it’s very contextual. At that time I had the luxury of going to Arne Slot’s house and listening to him for an hour how bad I was. I’ll never forget it.”

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Despite having to face the music Danjuma was mightly impressed by Slot and the way he communicated with him. His prediction for him proved to be true with the Dutchman succeeding Jurgen Klopp and winning the Premier League in his first year despite few tipping Liverpool to land the title.

He said: “I actually thought that was very strong. It convinced me of how good he is as a trainer. He opened his laptop and showed his plans and project. Everyone knew that Slot would be a good trainer. He showed me my own game. What I did well, but then also what I did badly, what I could improve. That also appealed to me immediately.

“His way of doing things, his way of acting and his way of talking, were all things that made me think: this is someone I could play well under. In the end I didn’t do it. At the time, Champions League football was also connected to it. So for me it’s very contextual.”

Slot’s composure and smart tactics earned huge praise during his first year in England. The Dutchman made subtle tweaks to aid the team that he inherited from Klopp. Now, after landing the title, he’s looked to evolve the team and has been aggressive in the transfer market, breaking the British transfer record to land Florian Wirtz.

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