Wife of £35m Tottenham target admits Liverpool is his 'dream club' but thinks Arne Slot won't sign him
Today at 12:15 PM
When Arne Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp in the Liverpool hotseat, the discussion quickly turned to who could follow in the former Feyenoord boss’s Premier League footsteps.
It is not exactly uncommon, after all, for managers to bring a few trusted lieutenants with them after taking on a new challenge.
You only need to look a few miles down the M52 for proof of that. And how Manchester United’s new bosses must wish the Glazers had held Erik ten Hag on a tighter leash; Antony an £82 millstone hanging around the Red Devils’ neck and Lisandro Martinez struggling to rediscover the butchering brilliance of his debut season at Old Trafford.
Arne Slot, together with Liverpool’s decision makers, resisted the temptation to take a leaf out of Ten Hag’s flawed playbook.
Orkun Kokcu’s father talked up a move to Liverpool recently. But, as yet, the Benfica playmaker and former Feyenoord captain does not appear likely to end up on Merseyside any time soon.
TBR Football understands that Liverpool considered Lutsharel Geertruida too but opted against challenging RB Leipzig for a deal which eventually set them back just over £20 million.
Feyenoord’s David Hancko admitted talks with Liverpool took place over the summer as well. But, as the Slovakia international would go on to explain, a combination of Feyenoord’s £35 million price-tag and his age – the now-27-year-old Hancko is older than the usual Liverpool target – made a reunion with Slot impossible.
David Hancko’s wife admits Liverpool transfer is his ‘dream’
Speaking to Czech publication Idnes, former tennis star Kristyna Pliskova – who married Hancko back in 2021 – backs up her husband’s explanation as to why Liverpool’s interest went no further.
“Liverpool has been David’s dream club since he was a child. And to be there with coach Arne Slot, whom he admires, would be a real treat,” Pliskova says. “But, at the same time, we all know that he is not the youngest and not the cheapest.”
Hancko, by his own admission, fell in love with Liverpool after watching that Steven Gerrard-inspired Champions League final comeback over AC Milan.
His agent, meanwhile, admits that Liverpool’s interest can be traced back long before Slot’s arrival. They, along with Paris Saint-Germain, showed an interest back in 2023.
The club who came closest to signing Hancko that following summer, however, would turn out to be Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Tottenham now keen on Feyenoord star after Atletico Madrid collapse
“It seemed like a done deal that we were moving,” Pliskova recalls. “But it fell through, which made David sad.
“I don’t want to say that he doesn’t like playing at Feyenoord. He has the club in his heart. I just think he deserves to move up one more step in his career. He does his best, plays all the matches, doesn’t even get substituted, [and] his performances are incredibly consistent.
“I wish [that he could get a move to] a club that would be absolutely top-notch. That would make his childhood dream come true.”
The former Sparta Prague stopper remains a man in demand.
TBR understands that Tottenham have included Hancko on their list of left-sided central defensive targets. Spurs are eyeing Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk too.
