Liverpool Eyes Arne Slot as Juergen Klopp's Replacement

Arne Slot is being targeted by Liverpool to replace Klopp because he is able to optimize players and has an aggressive approach.

ANP/AFP/VINCENT JANNINK

The expression of Feyenoord coach Arne Slot during a Dutch League match between Go Ahead Eagles and Feyenoord at De Adelaarshorst, Wednesday (11/5/2022). AS Roma and Feyenoord will compete in the final of the Europa Conference League at Air Albania Stadium, Tirana, Albania, on Thursday (26/5/2022) early morning WIB.

After several of the coaches they were targeting failed to provide confirmation, the management of Liverpool began to approach Arne Slot, coach of the club Feyenoord, from the Netherlands. Slot is considered suitable to replace Liverpool Manager Juergen Klopp because of his expertise in improving the players' abilities and his coaching style which always encourages his team to play aggressively.

Using that coaching style, Slot successfully led Feyenoord to win the KNVB Cup on Sunday (21/4/2024). Previously, in the 2022-2023 season, the 45-year-old coach also successfully led his club to win the Dutch League. That success was the first for Feyenoord in the past six years.

Previously, Klopp stated that he would stop coaching Liverpool at the end of this season. To replace Klopp, Liverpool approached Bayer Leverkusen Coach Xabi Alonso and Sporting Lisbon Coach Ruben Amorim. However, both have not shown interest and stated that they are still under contract with their respective clubs next season.

This is what made Liverpool shift its focus to the Dutch League and Slot became the top choice. Slot has proven to be able to transform Feyenoord into a highly effective attacking club, with a row of players who are not star quality.

AFP/ANP/MAURICE VAN STEEN

Feyenoord coach Arne Slot celebrated his team's success in winning the KNVB Cup after defeating NEC Nijmegen in the final match at De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam on Sunday (21/4/2024).

Since coaching Feyenoord in July 2021, Slot has led his team to win 94 out of 146 matches or 64.38 percent of the games. In this season, Feyenoord currently sits in second place on the Dutch League standings, behind PSV.

The former AZ Alkmaar coach also brought Feyenoord to become runner-up in the European Conference League in the 2021-2022 season. In the final match, Feyenoord lost to AS Roma, which was then coached by Jose Mourinho.

Slot has actually expressed his interest in coaching in England. Late last season, Slot revealed that. ”(My) next step is not to move to another Dutch club. "The normal next step is abroad and as I always say, the best league in the world is the English League," said Slot, quoted from BBC.

However, the effort to obtain Slot is not an easy matter for Liverpool. Currently, the managements of AC Milan, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are also actively approaching Slot.

Also read: Five Names of Liverpool Coach Candidates, Who is the Favorite?

AFP/NICOLAS TUCAT

Feyenoord players celebrated at the end of the second leg of the Europa Conference League semifinal match between Olympique Marseille and Feyenoord at the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, France, on Thursday (5/5/2022), which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Moreover, Slot is contractually bound until the end of the 2026 season. On the other hand, there is no release clause in Slot's contract, allowing Feyenoord to retain their coach if they do not wish to sell him anywhere.

"We believe that he will remain our coach next year," said Dennis te Kloese, Technical Director of Feyenoord, after the KNVB Cup final match.

On Tuesday (23/4/2024), The Times reported, Feyenoord did not deny or confirm Liverpool's interest in Slot. Meanwhile, the press conference ahead of the Dutch League match between Feyenoord and Go Ahead Eagles, which was supposed to feature Slot, on Wednesday (24/4/2024), was cancelled. This means that Slot cannot be questioned by journalists.

Also read: Klopp's End, Liverpool's Bitterness

The normal next step is abroad and as I always say, the best league in the world is the Premier League.

AFP/ODD ANDERSEN

AS Roma coach Jose Mourinho released the runner-up medal at the ceremony after the Europa League final at the Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary, Thursday (1/6/2023) early morning WIB. Roma lost to Sevilla on penalties, 1-4.

Mourinho's speculation

Meanwhile, there are rumors that Jose Mourinho is also interested in coaching Liverpool. The speculation arose after Mourinho witnessed the Fulham match against Liverpool firsthand at Craven Cottage Stadium in London on Sunday (21/4/2024).

The arrival of Mourinho may be due to the proximity of his residence in London to the stadium. However, his remarks while watching the Portuguese MotoGP series have linked him to the potential vacancy of the Liverpool coach position at the end of this season.

At the motorcycle race event, the coach who was fired by AS Roma since January 2024 told reporters that he was looking for a job as a coach this summer. This led to Mourinho being linked to Liverpool.

However, Mourinho's training style is in contrast to Liverpool's playing style developed by Klopp. Mourinho has a pragmatic defensive approach, while Liverpool under Klopp tends to play aggressively on the attack.