Arne Slot, the manager of Feyenoord, has the potential to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer. With a few signings, the Dutchman’s style of play should fit the team.
One of the leading candidates to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager this summer is Arne Slot, and it is understandable why the team is considering him.
Now that Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim have been discussed extensively, Feyenoord manager Slot has moved to the front of the line. With Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Liverpool all looking through the same pool of applicants, the managerial market is competitive, and a lot may change between now and the summer.
But because of his playing style and coaching philosophy, which are similar to Klopp’s playbook, Slot seems like a fantastic fit for Liverpool. Regarding his approach with Feyenoord, he told UEFA, “We are an attack-minded team that likes to have a lot of the ball and we play with a lot of intensity.” “We want to regain possession of the ball as soon as possible, so we’ll be proactive and apply pressure to do so. We seem like a team that is hard to defeat.
In May of last year, Slot was on the verge of taking over at Tottenham; however, they were unable to reach a financial agreement with Feyenoord and ultimately chose Ange Postecoglou. Not only does the 45-year-old Dutchman make theoretical sense, In addition, he has collected awards; he won the Dutch Cup this year and the Eredivisie championship previous season.
But what may his coming to Merseyside signify for Liverpool as a player? Observing our crystal ball,
First things first: Slot’s formation is obvious: a 4-2-3-1 in possession that can be adjusted to suit players with offensive skill. He used to play it for Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar, and he wouldn’t have to make many adjustments at Liverpool because Klopp’s team uses a 4-3-3 configuration.
This season, injuries have plagued Liverpool’s backline, keeping Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, and Andy Robertson out of action. If they recover fully, though, they should remain the team’s first picks along with Virgil van Dijk in the upcoming campaign.
The area where adjustments could be made is further ahead. Slot would probably like to sign an offensive midfielder to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation because the Liverpool team doesn’t have a very good midfielder other than Dominik Szoboszlai. Slot might use that as an opportunity to get back together with Teun Koopmeiners, who Liverpool is all too familiar with.
Koopmeiners has had a fantastic season at Atalanta, and he was a member of the team that surprised the Reds by winning 3-0 at Anfield. The 26-year-old has mostly been used as an offensive midfielder this season, with 11 goals and 4 assists in Serie A. Having coached him at AZ Alkmaar during the 2019–20 season, Slot is well-known to be a fan.
Santiago Gimenez, a striker for Feyenoord who has 24 goals and seven assists in 40 appearances this season, is another player that Slot adores. The 23-year-old could follow his current manager to Anfield this summer after being mentioned as a possible transfer target around Europe. Although Darwin Nunez has had a successful season, a new striker may be needed this summer due to his inconsistent finishing and Diogo Jota’s injury issues.
This leads us to the most important issue at hand: Mohamed Salah. Although the Liverpool legend’s contract expires in June 2025, the allure of Saudi Arabian wealth has not faded and is certain to resurface during the summer transfer window.
Salah, who is 31 years old and shows no signs of slowing down, is undoubtedly someone Liverpool will want to keep, but they are not in a very good situation. They will have to decide whether to risk losing him for nothing next summer, sell for the greatest price, or sign him to a new contract. What about substitutes then?
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham and Pedro Neto of Wolves have both been linked to Liverpool on multiple occasions and are still targets. The Reds won’t lack scouting experience with Richard Hughes taking over as the new sporting director and Michael Edwards returning to Fenway Sports Group, although both of these players are well-known. Since Neto has had injury problems this season and Bowen has scored 19 goals in all competitions in 2023–24, he is chosen.
Arne Slot could start the following lineup for Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Koopmeiners; Bowen, Diaz, Gimenez; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Konate, Robertson
