Liverpool have officially announced the hiring of Arne Slot as their new head coach, just one day after Jurgen Klopp bid farewell to Anfield following their match against Wolves in the Premier League.
The former coach of Feyenoord, Arne Slot, has been in an agreement with Liverpool for over three weeks. However, the announcement of his hiring was delayed until after Jurgen Klopp’s departure. It has now been officially announced that Slot will be the head coach, not manager, and has signed a three-year contract with the club.
On June 1st, he will begin his official duties, pending a work visa. However, he has already begun preparations by moving up Liverpool’s pre-season training by one week. The 45-year-old had a remaining two-year contract with Feyenoord, but they will now receive €9m (£7.7m) plus an additional €2m in compensation.
During his time at Feyenoord, Slot achieved success by winning both the Dutch league and cup. He was specifically chosen by Liverpool as their top candidate, following a search led by new sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group’s new chief executive of football, Michael Edwards. Although former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was initially the frontrunner, he removed himself from consideration by choosing to stay with new Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, as confirmed in this article.
In November, Klopp informed Liverpool’s owners of his intention to leave and then announced it in January. This gave the club enough time to thoroughly search for a new manager. After winning the Rinus Michels Award for two consecutive years, Slot became the top candidate for Liverpool due to various reasons.
The Liverpool recruitment team was impressed by Slot’s accomplishments at AZ and Feyenoord, as well as his reputation for being innovative and having strong communication skills. He was also praised for his ability to exceed expectations with a limited budget. His preferred style of play is similar to Klopp’s, making him a suitable fit for the Liverpool squad. Additionally, Slot has a proven track record of developing players, and he has expressed a desire to work with Darwin Nuñez, despite concerns about the player’s future.
In April, Feyenoord’s Slot helped lead the team to a win in the KNVB Cup, following their previous season’s success in winning the Eredivisie. This season, they were second behind PSV Eindhoven, the reigning champions. Slot’s first season as Dick Advocaat’s replacement saw Feyenoord making it to the 2022 Europa Conference League final, where they ultimately suffered a 1-0 defeat to Roma.
The coach’s efforts sparked a lot of attention throughout Europe, as Tottenham expressed their desire to bring him to the Premier League last season; however, he was determined to join Anfield once Liverpool showed interest in him.
Sipke Hulshoff, who previously worked as Slot’s assistant at Feyenoord, is set to join him at Anfield. Hulshoff recently stepped down from his role as assistant coach for the Netherlands in order to be present for Liverpool’s pre-season training. Additionally, Liverpool will also be acquiring Feyenoord’s head of performance, Ruben Peeters, and analyst Etienne Reijnen, pending the approval of their work permits.
Pre-season training for Slot is scheduled to commence in early July. However, according to Virgil van Dijk, players who participated in the Euros or Copa America will require a longer break. The captain of Liverpool stated, “It is important for us to have a proper rest after the tournament, otherwise we could face difficulties at the start of the season. Hopefully, the new manager will also take this into consideration.
Van Dijk’s contract is set to expire in the next 12 months and he recently stated that there are no current discussions for a new contract after their victory against Wolves on Sunday. Despite this, the Dutch defender has made a promise to assist Slot in settling.
According to Van Dijk, he possesses a great deal of inquisitiveness and a multitude of inquiries. He expressed his readiness to observe the outcome as the Premier League and Liverpool present a distinctive challenge, but assured his support for the newcomer. He emphasized the importance of standing united and providing him with the opportunity to showcase his abilities alongside the upcoming team members.
It is likely that he is already aware, but it is common knowledge that our expectations are always high. Therefore, it is important to handle them in the correct manner and to get the best performance out of all of our players. This process begins with taking a good break and then we can restart with a clean slate. While some players will have a chance to rest during the Euros and Copa America, we will all be starting fresh. Congratulations to Manchester City, my two friends Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake. Hopefully, next year we will be back to compete once again and successfully accomplish our goals.
