Once wanted by Leeds and Tottenham, Arne Slot’s patience could well have paid off now he is the frontrunner to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Slot’s exploits at Feyenoord had Premier League clubs on alert last year, but back then he had a job to do, one that he was eager to complete.
The 45-year-old Dutchman would go on to win the Eredivisie, steering the Rotterdam club to their first Dutch title since 2017 and only their second this century.
The taste for silverware has continued into this current campaign. Feyenoord won the Dutch Cup on Sunday, and though second behind PSV in the league, a 16-game unbeaten run stretching back to December means they are all-but guaranteed a place in the next season’s Champions League group stages.
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That had been a key reason for staying on last summer. Slot fended off interest from Leeds in early 2023 and was linked with Tottenham last spring, but with Spurs seemingly searching in the dark and having failed to qualify for Europe, the prospect was not so enticing.
The crown Klopp is vacating will be heavy – Xabi Alonso opted to stay at Bayer Leverkusen -but Slot may find this offer simply too good to refuse.
Slot’s ‘green flags’
Liverpool’s hierarchy and fans alike will be craving a seamless transition, so too the players who have become ingrained in Klopp’s ways on Merseyside.
Someone who can slot right in, essentially, and so no surprise then that Liverpool’s data-driven search has landed them on Slot, who operates what Transfermarkt calls a defensive 4-3-3 – “defensive” in shape, not outlook.
“His style is high-energy attacking football in a 4-3-3 with two deep lying midfielders and a reliance on wingers to create chances,” Football Oranje editor Michael Bell told i last year.
“Slot is a Pep Guardiola-type more than a Jose Mourinho. He wants to entertain, he wants to attack and he wants his players to give it all on the pitch. He uses tight budgets, improves young players and plays nice to watch attacking football.
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“He is doing all this with a good manner and is well liked by his players and the fans. All this will be green flags to any club looking at Rotterdam.”
Though likened to Guardiola, the Klopp similarities are evident too, and his reliance on wingers will inevitably put the spotlight on Mohamed Salah, who would appear to be the most likely key player to move on this summer.
That decision may be beyond Slot, or whoever takes charge, but nevertheless out wide is an area where Liverpool have flourished under Klopp – and should Salah go, it would be a position they may look to reinforce with any money they get.
Slot’s style in focus
Defensively, Feyenoord are bettered only by league leaders PSV for fewest goals conceded this season. With four matches remaining, Feyenoord’s 23 goals conceded in 30 games is on course to be an improvement on last term, when they shipped in 30 en route to winning the title.
Up front, Feyenoord are again second to PSV for goals (77), while Santiago Gimenez alone has 24 goals in all competitions this season, the same amount as Salah and six more than Darwin Nunez. What odds, then, of Slot wanting to bring the promising 23-year-old Mexican along to Anfield for the ride?
Trent Alexander-Arnold may see a subtle change in his roles if Slot joins (Photo: PA)
When in possession, Feyenoord are second for short passes and second bottom for long passes completed in the Eredivisie this season, per FBref, a contrast in Liverpool’s style given the Premier League club’s tendency to also play it long – they are third behind Fulham and Manchester City for long passes completed.
“Hoof-ball” that is not. Liverpool’s accuracy with long balls (or diagonals) for their wingers has been a tactic that has repeatedly worked under Klopp. Slot may want to adjust his own philosophy to fall in line with Liverpool’s strengths, such as the precision of their defenders’ passes and the pace of their wide players.
For crosses, Liverpool are second and Feyenoord fifth in their respective leagues this season, once more making out wide a key focus – although when it comes to switching play the two sides contrast once again. Liverpool are second in this regard (attempting 129 switches), with Feyenoord bottom among all Eredivisie clubs (57).
These differences hint at the subtle changes Liverpool fans may see under Slot in attack, although off the ball it should be more of the same.
In the Premier League, Liverpool are second for tackles in the attacking third and third for tackles in the middle third this season, while Feyenoord are first in both of those categories for the Eredivisie.
The high press, therefore, won’t be disappearing when Klopp does.
Slot is ‘eloquent, funny and clever’
By Mark Douglas
Slot should at least have the charisma to match the impact of the departing Klopp, with one Premier League executive telling i that he came away from a meeting with him “very impressed” by not only what he’d heard but the way the Feyenoord boss was able to articulate and sell his vision.
“It does not surprise me one bit that Premier League clubs are interested in him – he carries himself very well,” they said. Slot’s influence has been pivotal in persuading some of Feyenoord’s recent signings to pick the club, even when bigger or better financial offers were elsewhere.
Klopp’s are some boots to fill (Photo: Getty)
Few other clubs demand their manager to be a leader like Liverpool. Klopp didn’t just manage the Reds well, he led from the front, articulating the club’s values perfectly. Slot has been backed to do the same.
“As well as being an absolutely excellent coach he’s also eloquent, funny and clever. The press over here really like him – he gives straight answers and doesn’t play any games. He is himself in press conferences,” Martijn Krabbendam, Feyenoord correspondent for Voetbal International, says.
“The only doubt around him is how he copes under pressure – but that’s because he has done so well at Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar. He has not agitated to leave, I just think he wants to test his ideas and systems with world class players, which is what he will find at Liverpool.”
Any cracks in the armour?
Slot would represent a gamble, but in truth very few managers wouldn’t.
Klopp was not “Premier League ready” but had impressed in the Bundesliga with Mainz and then Borussia Dortmund, and so Slot can only hope his time at AZ Alkmaar and then Feyenoord has suitably prepared him for his next challenge.
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Being an affable character should certainly stand him in good stead at a club where the manager is a key representative of this fiercely passionate city, and Slot could soon learn of the many roles that come with taking charge of Liverpool Football Club.
What will matter most, though, are results, and the ability to combine a tilt at the title with a European push.
On that front, Feyenoord fell short this season, exiting the Champions League at the group stages and then losing to Roma in the Europa League – albeit only on penalties in the knockout round play-offs.
The fact Feyenoord’s title defence has also fallen short is a case of fine margins, given they have lost just two league games all season. Notably, Feyenoord could yet outscore last season’s title-winning points total of 82, with 84 still possible.
It has been less of a title relinquished, therefore, and more of a title won by PSV, who have lost once in the league this season and boast a goal difference of +78 – scoring 95 times in 30 games so far and conceding just 17.
Slot and Feyenoord could do little to stop this – just like Klopp and Liverpool may find in the coming weeks.
