Tottenham wanted to bring me from Feyenoord but it was made clear to me that Liverpool was a better option

New Liverpool boss Arne Slot is not the only person to leave Tottenham at Feyenoord and expect something else.

The Dutchman turned down Spurs’ approach in 2023 after guiding Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title, leading to the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in north London.

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Slot’s decision to delay his departure paid off, as he landed the Liverpool job following Jurgen Klopp’s decision to retire at Anfield.

Who knows, maybe he spoke to Dirk Kuyt, who is a true Liverpool legend having left Feyenoord to join the Reds in a £10m deal in 2006.

Tottenham had tried to sign him a year earlier, but he did not want to leave his club short-lived after finishing the 2004/05 season as top scorer with 29 goals.

He told the Kieft Jansen Egmond Gijp podcast: “A year before I left for Liverpool, I was able to go to Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the transfer market.

“Spurs president Daniel Levy called, he wanted me. I thought it was a very strange moment to leave Feyenoord behind. Leaving Feyenoord without a striker, but with a bag of money.

“Then (agent) Rob Jansen and I decided together not to do that.”

When Kuyt left the Netherlands for the Premier League in 2006, Liverpool were first in line for his signature.

And it was Dutch legend Marco van Basten, manager of the Dutch national team at the time, who underlined the magnitude of this decision a year earlier, after beating Milan to win the 2005 Champions League.

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Upon signing for Liverpool, Kuyt said: “Marco van Basten told me it was a very good decision, not only for me but for the Dutch team.

“He thinks I’ve outgrown football in the Netherlands and I need to join a bigger club. And he thinks Liverpool is a good club for me.

“It’s a dream that a club like Liverpool, with their history, would want me. At the start of the week I was just stunned by things, now it’s a privilege to play for them.

“I think my game is suited to England, I think I’m a typical Premier League type of player.

“I know there’s a lot of competition up front, but it’s only good for the team. Not everyone can play 50 to 60 games a season.”

As it turned out, Kuyt became an integral part of the Liverpool team.

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In six seasons, he has played 285 times in all competitions and has only missed 20 Premier League matches.

Liverpool fans loved Kuyt, who scored 71 goals and was part of their team that won the League Cup in 2012, while he also found the back of the net in the 2-1 final defeat of the Champions League against Milan in 2007.

After hanging up his boots in 2017 after two years at Feyenoord, Kuyt has since turned his attention to coaching and is the current manager of Belgian club Beerschot.

And Slot hopes to maintain a similar relationship with fans as he looks to build on Klopp’s foundations at Anfield.