Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed that his attempts to bring Algerian winger Anis Hadj Moussa to Feyenoord were met with strong resistance from within the club’s scouting department.
Speaking to Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad, the former Feyenoord head coach reflected on the challenges he faced in securing the signing of Hadj Moussa from Vitesse Arnhem.
Slot, who led Feyenoord to domestic success before departing for the Premier League, described the internal opposition to the transfer as unlike anything he had encountered during his managerial career.
“No player I tried to bring in faced more internal pushback than Hadj Moussa,” Slot explained. “There was a level of resistance from the scouts that went far beyond normal disagreement.”
Slot recounted how club officials made a concerted effort to prevent the transfer. He was brought into a meeting room and shown a series of video clips aimed at proving the Algerian forward was not of the quality needed at Feyenoord.
“It was completely out of the ordinary,” he said. “They sat me down and showed me footage intended to demonstrate how poor a decision it would be to sign him. Still, I wasn’t convinced by their argument.”
Despite the attempts to sway him, Slot stood firm in his desire to bring the player to Rotterdam. He was not alone in that conviction. Feyenoord’s sporting director, Dennis te Kloese, also supported the move.
“Dennis wanted him too,” Slot added. “He saw what I saw.”
The 46-year-old manager admitted that even he was surprised by the speed at which Hadj Moussa adapted to life at the club and began to make a meaningful impact.
“I didn’t think he would find his feet that quickly,” Slot said. “You don’t often see those kinds of qualities show so early.”
Slot’s backing of Hadj Moussa ultimately proved to be the right call. The winger settled into the squad and delivered performances that defied the initial doubts cast by the scouting team.
His emergence became a quiet victory for Slot, who had trusted his instincts despite the pressure to reverse course.
The episode underscores the occasional friction between coaching staff and recruitment departments in top-level football, where perspectives can clash over player evaluations.
Slot’s determination in the face of such resistance highlights the leadership approach he brought to Feyenoord and now continues at Liverpool.
Since taking over at Anfield, Slot has wasted no time making his mark. After leaving Feyenoord in 2024, he led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his debut season.
Yet his comments reveal that his path to success has not always been smooth, shaped as much by internal battles as by matchday results.
For Hadj Moussa, his rise at Feyenoord stands as a powerful rebuttal to early critics and a validation of the belief shown in him.
For Slot, it is another chapter in a managerial career built on clarity, conviction, and the courage to make difficult calls in the face of strong opposition.
