Dutch coach reveals Arne Slot job offer – Turned Liverpool down for an important reason

Former FC Twente boss Marino Pusic has revealed he had an offer from Arne Slot to join him at Liverpool in 2023.

Pusic, now managing Al-Jazira in the UAE, explained that slot approached him after his first season at Shakhtar Donetsk.

But despite the prestige of a move to Liverpool and the chance to reunite with Slot, Pusic walked away from the opportunity.

“Arne asked if I wanted to join him at Liverpool. I considered that a great honour, but it didn’t feel right to leave,” Pusic told Voetbal International.

Why Pusic said no to Liverpool

Marino Pusic’s decision wasn’t about football. Instead, it was his loyalty to Shakhtar, a club operating in the unimaginable strain of wartime, that he felt made the timing impossible.

During his two years at the club, he guided Shakhtar through a period he describes as emotionally overwhelming and uniquely demanding.

“No club in the world has performed as well as Shakhtar during wartime: a national title, two national cups, and thirteen points in two Champions League campaigns,” he added.

Players and staff were regularly confronted with news of loved ones killed in the conflict. Pusic said that in those moments, coaching became something far deeper than tactics.

“You are talking about life and death together. That is how you build a close bond.”

Slot’s love for Dutch coaches

Arne Slot’s approach for a reunion with Marino Pusic isn’t all that surprising. The pair worked together successfully at Feyenoord before Slot move to Liverpool in 2024.

Slot then hired Johnny Heitinga as his assistant, before then replacing him with Giovanni van Bronckhorst when the former left for Ajax last year.

He had also wanted to take Etiënne Reijnen with him to Anfield. But the Feyenoord assistant could not get a work permit, leading to Heitinga’s eventual arrival.

Sander Westerveld even called for Slot to approach Pusic again when it came to replacing Heitinga last year.

Now Pusic has admitted that the offer was there at one point. He, though, couldn’t turn his back on Shakhtar at that point.

What it means for Liverpool

The reveal from Marino Pusic adds a fascinating footnote to Arne Slot’s early recruitment plans at Liverpool.

He was clearly someone that Slot trusted deeply, enough to take him into one of the biggest jobs in world football. Had he accepted, Liverpool’s backroom team might look very different today.

Indeed, last season could have been very different. Many credited his replacement, Heitinga, for playing a key role in their title success last season.

Instead, Pusic decided to stay loyal to Shakhtar, a decision he clearly doesn’t regret.