Reports: Arne Slot set to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool coach at the end of the season
Liverpool have agreed terms with Arne Slot to become their next manager after Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the season.
With the agreement ready in principle following a series of talks in recent days, Liverpool have now discussed the compensation fee for prying away the third-youngest coach to lift the Eredivisie title for Feyenoord.
“It seems clear to me that I would like to work there,” Slot exclaimed, before his side brushed aside Go Ahead Eagles 3-1.
“All I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations. I’m in the waiting room.”
The 45-year-old oversaw a remarkable title-winning campaign last season where Feyenoord collected 82 points and scored in 31 successive top-flight games.
Not long ago, the Dutch giants laid their hands on the KNVB Beker Cup, defeating NEC 1-0 thanks to a timely Igor Paixao strike. All in all, Slot has enjoyed a win rate of 64% at Feyenoord, underscoring why the Reds think tank was keen on his signature.
He was at AZ Alkmaar prior to his success at Feyenoord, and that was when the European football world took notice of his mastery, with AZ going toe-to-toe until the very end with AFC Ajax in the 2019/20 season.
While the Liverpool squad is littered with trophy winners who are settled into their roles, the arrival of sporting director Richard Hughes and Slot will change the process behind the club’s recruitment moving forward.
Slot isn’t a follower of a gegenpressing system like Klopp, but his Feyenoord side is a hungry pack of wolves that gobbles up possession repeatedly in the final third.
As for the similarities, his side is excellent in turnovers and quick transitions. In fact, they’ve been overshadowed by PSV’s brilliance this term. They’re already at 75 points, two victories away from reaching their wins tally from last season.
As per Opta, Feyenoord’s average possession is 62% under Slot this season, which is marginally better than Liverpool’s 61.4%. Slot is well-suited to the Liverpool philosophy that Klopp embodied over the last decade or so.
It’ll be interesting to see how quickly one of Europe’s most promising coaches adapts to the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Klopp’s Liverpool are all but out of the title race after two losses in three games, most recently to Merseyside rivals Everton.
They visit West Ham at the London stadium next.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Carlo Bruil Fotografie. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.