Feyenoord confirm that manager Brian Priske will remain in charge for the time being

Feyenoord general manager Dennis Te Kloese has confirmed that the club's manager Brian Priske will remain in charge for the time being. It had been reported in the media that the Danish manager was set to be fired. The decision was made after Te Kloese had talks with Priske.

"Although I do not want to make it a habit to be responding to rumors and speculation, I would like to confirm that Brian is still the manager of Feyenoord," Te Kloese told several media outlets including ANP. "We had extensive discussions after the historic win against Bayern Munich and realigned our vision."

He added that both men agreed during the talks that many things are going well, including the positive results in the UEFA Champions League, which has resulted in significant increases in value for the team and the players.

"In addition, we are very proud of the increased playing time for our young talents, who are playing a continuously more significant role in the team," Te Kloese continued. "At the same time, we as a team, and as a club, remain critical and will continue to strive to improve. The results in the Eredivisie and the league position are not good enough."

Feyenoord are ahead of top clubs like Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in the Champions League this season. However, The club has been inconsistent under the 47-year-old in the Dutch domestic league, the Eredivisie. The team has won one point in their last three league games. They are currently in fourth position, nine points behind arch-rivals Ajax, who are second.

Priske would not give much away about reports that he was set to be sacked when asked after his team picked up a shock 3-0 win against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. “At this moment, I am the manager of Feyenoord. I have not heard anything different, and I do not expect to hear anything different, but this is football. I am focusing on my job every day, and I will continue to do so.”

Priske, who succeeded crowd favorite Arne Slot last summer, preferred to speak about his team’s achievement of beating Bayern Munich and confirming their progress to the next round of the UEFA Champions League. “This is historic. We have the eight toughest games of any team in the competition, and yet we have 13 points. I find this unbelievable and very well done by the players.”

A few hours prior to the game, reports came in from the media stating that Priske was about to be sacked. Danish media outlet Tipsbladet reported that the club was already in talks with Marino Pusic about a return to the club.

Pusic was former manager Arne Slot’s assistant at Feyenoord and is now the manager of Ukranian team Shakhtar Donetsk. The rumors regarding Priske being fired are not new. Dutch media outlets had previously mentioned Mark van Bommel and Giovanni van Bronckhorst as potential replacements.

Priske said that he believes that Feyenoord has the quality to win a lot of football matches. “I can only do my best and act appropriately. I am a manager, other people have to make these decisions. But whatever decision they make, I will respect it. That is how I am.”

The manager was not the only person linked with a move away. Santiago Gimenez also gave very little information to reporters when asked about a potential move. Reports from Italy claim that AC Milan wants to sign the Mexican striker this month.

“The only person who knows my future is god,” the striker told Ziggo Sport. “I put everything into his hands. I am in love with Feyenoord. I have been since the first day I arrived here. I receive a lot of support, and I want to give the fans goals in return.”

Gimenez attracted interest from AC Milan last summer. English team Nottingham Forest wanted to sign him for 32 million euros, but the Mexican did not accept the move. Gimenez scored two goals against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Reports claim Feyenoord would want 40 million euros for the player.