But the image of Slot as a sweetheart is not entirely correct. He doesn't seem afraid to make a hard decision. Whether it is for the team - Feyenoord captain Jens Toornstra has lost his starting place in recent months. Or for himself - a sudden switch to Feyenoord from AZ.
"I wouldn't have thought it very strange if he had gone to Ajax after all," says Everse. "I think Arne thinks very simply in his own interests. That is very good, because it can also end like that in the football world." But hiding something? Slot doesn't do that.
"What you see is who I am," he said as a brand new AZ coach. "You can also be calm and analyzing and very clear at the same time." Toornstra recognizes that. "He can touch you and motivate you." As a coach, Slot shows his players exactly what he expects from them.
Toornstra already saw at the first meeting that Slot is a good trainer: 'He can hit you'
Van Polen also remembers it from Slot's time as a player. "He is very clear and you should not come to him with nonsense and injustice, he cannot handle that very well. He does not tolerate that well."
"Arne is diplomatic," Everse notes. "He tells what he needs to tell the group and doesn't beat around the bush." Perhaps that is the most important thing that coach Slot picked up during his time as a player: providing clarity. That's exactly what footballers love.