Dutch. 45 years. Discreet career as a football player. Technician for five years. These are descriptions that should appear on Arne Slot’s CV, tipped to succeed Jurgen Klopp as coach of the Liverpool. The professional, currently in Feyenoordis the favorite for the position and has made it clear that he wants to take on the challenge.
Klopp, who has a contract until 2026, announced since the beginning of this year that he would leave the club at the end of the current season. Spaniard Xabi Alonso, from Bayer Leverkusen, had emerged as the main candidate to replace him, but chose to stay in Germany. The interest in the Portuguese Rúben Amorim, from Sporting, also cooled down. And so, the way was open for Arne Slot.
The Dutchman, who last year said ‘no’ to Chelsea, Tottenham It is Leeds Unitedthink that This is the time to lead the Reds. “I want to go to Liverpool. I’m waiting to see if the clubs reach an agreement. I’m confident that will happen,” he said.
Possible hiring even received Klopp’s “blessing”. “I like the way his team plays football. All the things I hear about him are that he’s a good guy. I don’t know him, but some people who know him say he’s cool. I really like that,” he said. “He’s a good coach, a good guy… I’m looking forward to the club. If he’s the solution, if he’s the right man, I’m more than happy,” he added.
Defender and captain Virgil van Dijk, Slot’s compatriot, has also given its approval. “He is one of the best Dutch coaches at the moment”, he said. “The way he plays and the philosophy he adopts means he has what it takes to be a Liverpool manager,” he added.
The Reds will face a kind of ‘race’ behind the scenes to secure the signing. The coach, not so well known in football circles, also arouses interest in Bayern Munchen It is Barcelona. But where does so much search come from?
Five years on the edge of the lawn
Arne Slot took charge of a team for the first time in 2019, in AZ Alkmaar, from the Netherlands, where he previously worked for two seasons as an assistant. In his first job as head coach, he led the team to second place in the national championship, fighting for the lead with Ajax. That season Eredivisie was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and, therefore, it was not possible to project what the team could achieve.
The good work, however, qualified him to take over Feyenoord in 2021. In the first season, he finished third in the Dutch Championship, earning a place in the Europa League. More than that: he took the team to the final of the first edition of the Conference League. The European title slipped away in a 1-0 defeat to Roma.
The following season, the first cup came. The team led by Slot had 82 points in the Eredivisie, seven points ahead of second-placed PSV, and was national champion, in a campaign with 25 wins, seven draws and just two defeats in 34 games.
In the current dispute, with three games to go, Feyenoord no longer has a chance of winning the title, which was left to PSV, but they are in second place and should be able to get a place in the pre-elimination stages of the next Champions League.
Discreet as a player
Before reaching the top of Dutch football coaches, Arne Slot was an ordinary player. A right-handed midfielder who is considered slow, he began his career in the early 90s at FC Zwolle. He has never played outside of the Netherlands. He also played at NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam. His career ended in 2013, with the team that revealed him.
In the same year that he hung up his boots, he received the opportunity, whilst still on the team, to be a youth coach. From there, he became a technical assistant at SC Cambuur, his last job before arriving at AZ Alkmaar.
How much should Liverpool pay for Arne Slot
Liverpool’s negotiations for a new coach are led by director Michael Edwards, the same one who brought Klopp in from Borussia Dortmund in 2015.
Slot has a contract with Feyernoord until 2026. The compensation package that the Reds would have to pay to have the coach is around 9 million pounds (around R$58 million).
The Dutch coach believes in working to improve habits and has already praised Messi and Guardiola, describing both as people who “enrich” football. Klopp was also remembered as someone who valued good, well-thought-out football.
The English newspaper The Guardian even sees similarities between Slot and the German coach. The publication highlighted him as someone intelligent, who bets on offensive football and high pressing, with ambition and surrounded by qualified assistants.
