There is something extraordinary taking place in the Netherlands that even rivals Leicester City’s amazing Premier League title win in 2016.

The Feyenoord team of Arne Slot play some of the most exciting, high-energy, attacking football on the continent, leading by eight points over Ajax with just one defeat in 28 league games.

And all of this is being achieved on a shoestring.

Feyenoord are far behind the Dutch giants of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven in terms of budget but also have been, in recent years, a boring, defensive team. How that has changed.

So impressive has been the work of the 44-year-old former midfielder, who is a disciple of Pep Guardiola, that more Premier League clubs are taking a keen interest. Leeds United tried to hire him in February after sacking Jesse Marsch, but he stayed in Rotterdam. There are vacancies at Tottenham and, in the summer, Chelsea and Crystal Palace – it would be remiss of them not to consider Slot.

Mention of Ajax draws the most stark comparison. When Slot took over, Feyenoord sold top-scorer Steven Berghuis, with 18 goals, to Ajax for €6.5m and used €4.5m to buy Gernot Trauner, Marcus Pedersen and Fredrik Aursnes, who all improved the squad.

Feyenoord finished third, having been fifth the season before, but that does not provide the full picture as Slot completely overhauled their defensive playing style. The club wanted him to do it and, interestingly so did the players.

The coach busted the myth that ‘you can only work with what you have got’. Instead, with a fierce pressing game in which Feyenoord go man-for-man with their opponents all over the pitch, he showed that players can change.

Interestingly, it was one of his main motivations for joining Feyenoord: to show the world it can be done.

His approach was also simple, as is his mantra: his teams defend by attacking. While Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, for example, wait for ‘pressing triggers’ Slot asks his players to press all the time. It sounds exhausting but, after a few weeks, it becomes second nature.

Last summer the changes that were made were even more dramatic as €70m worth of players, led by Tyrell Malacia, who joined Manchester United and Luis Sinisterra, who was signed by Leeds, were sold.

Slot lost seven players from his starting XI and lost three loanees, including Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson.

In came no fewer than 17 players in one transfer window with just €30m spent.

So Feyenoord made a significant profit but have a far better team. Two of those players, midfielder Quinten Timber and defender David Hancko, cost €6.5m each, which meant just €17m was spent on 15 players.

So with a transfer surplus of €40m, Slot has created a team that is one of the most exciting in Europe.

Players such as 23-year-old midfielder Mats Wieffer and right-back Lutsharel Geertruida, both just called up for latest Dutch squad, are catching the eye while Turkish international Orkun Kokcu has been transformed into one of the best midfielders in the Eredivisie and will be in demand this summer.

Premier League clubs are watching as a coach displays his great talents.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2023]