Arne Slot could become Liverpool’s new manager this summer when Jurgen Klopp leaves – but how will the Reds line-up under the Dutchman at Anfield?
Liverpool have made Slot their No.1 managerial target and have already opened talks with Feyenoord over brining him from the Eredivisie to the Premier League.
The 45-year-old wants to join Liverpool ‘at all costs’ after he rejected the Tottenham job last summer, with his stock rising after another impressive season.
Slot led Feyenoord to the Dutch top-flight title last term while this campaign has seen his side clinch the KNVB Cup – and he has now moved ahead of Xabi Alonso, Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi on Liverpool’s wishlist for a new boss.
Where did Slot start his managerial career?
Arne Slot ended his 18-year playing career in 2013 having featured for Dutch sides PEC Zwolle, NAC Breda, and Sparta Rotterdam as a midfielder.
Slot, known for his passing and vision, ‘behaved like a coach’ in his final years as a player, according to his ex-teammate Bram van Polen.
Immediately after hanging up his boots, he spent a year working as PEC Zwolle’s youth coach before being handed an assistant coach role at Cambuur.
Dutch club Cambuur sacked their manager in October 2016 which saw Slot thrown in as a joint-interim boss, helping them climb from 13th to third.
With Slot in charge, Cambuur reached the KNVB Cup semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history and impressively produced a victory over Dutch giants Ajax.
That saw AZ Alkmaar take a punt on Slot as an assistant manager – and he later took over as their main head coach for the 2019-20 campaign – as he became the first boss to win 19 points in his first eight top-flight games at the club.
Slot earned 2.11 points per game at AZ in the Eredivisie – the highest of any coach in the club’s history – with Feyenoord then snapping him up as manager in 2021.
Slot has worked miracles at Feyenoord, guiding them to Eredivisie and KNVB Cup glory as well as a runner-up finish in the the inaugural Europa Conference League.
In 2023, his side beat Shakhtar Donetsk 7–1 for their biggest European win since 1995 as he became the first Feyenoord boss to have won 15 matches in Europe.
Why is Slot so highly rated?
‘It was only a matter of time before another big English club would come knocking on the door,’ Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan told Sky Sports.
‘He’s not only been a successful manager, he’s also been hugely impressive with his playing style of very attack-minded, Pep Guardiola-style football.
‘I don’t expect Feyenoord to stand in the way. They know he’s a manager in demand but they will demand a big compensation fee. He has two years left on his contract that was a record deal.
‘Never before in Dutch football has a team paid a manager such huge wages. The players like him, the fans love him, the club love him – they won’t want him to go.
‘Feyenoord have every right to demand a big fee as there is no clause in his contract which he renewed last year.
‘He’s been a successful coach and made Feyenoord champions playing crazy, sexy football.
‘It is sexy what this man brings on a football pitch. There’s nothing more to win for him here.
‘The next step for him is to enter a club in a big league and no league is bigger for the Dutch than the Premier League. I will be surprised if Slot doesn’t bite at this chance and become the manger of Liverpool next season.’
When did Liverpool make Slot a top target?
Liverpool made Arne Slot a top target this week after evaluating a host of managers from around Europe.
Xabi Alonso was the original first-choice target before he announced his decision to remain with Bayer Leverkusen after guiding them to Bundesliga glory.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim then emerged as a potential option – but he looks more likely to end up at West Ham.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Bologna’s Thiago Motta were also linked but it is Slot who is now the frontrunner to replace Jurgen Klopp.
What can Liverpool fans expect from Slot?
Arne Slot favours a high-intensity 4-2-3-1 formation in possession, which can be flexible to accommodate attacking players.
He prefers to have two deep-lying midfielders and a reliance on wingers to create chances.
Slot’s teams often dominate possession and play on the front-foot and are known for their pressing.
‘We are an attack-minded team that likes to have a lot of the ball, and we play with a lot of intensity,’ Slot has said about his own style of football.
‘When we don’t have the ball, we want to win it back as quickly as possible by being aggressive and pressing to win back possession. I think we are a team that is difficult to beat.’
How could Liverpool line-up under Slot’s formation?
Liverpool’s back four under Arne Slot is likely to have a very similar look, assuming none of their star defenders leave the club in the summer transfer window.
Mohamed Salah, though, has been strongly linked to the Saudi Pro League with West Ham star Jarrod Bowen tipped as one of his potential replacements.
It’s been reported that Slot may decide to sign Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners in one of his first decisions as Liverpool boss – who he managed at AZ Alkmaar.
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