Make no mistake, it meant something when Liverpool confirmed that Arne Slot would not be their new ‘manager’ but their new ‘head coach’.
This is not a case of arguing over semantics.
Arne Slot‘s job will be, as you might have guessed, to ‘coach’. Control over recruitment, The Athletic explain, will be wielded instead by the returning Michael Edwards, in his new role as CEO of Football Operations, and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Though this does not mean, however, that Slot won’t find himself reunited with a few familiar faces on Merseyside.
Liverpool could reunite Arne Slot with David Hancko
HITC reported back in January, before even it became public knowledge that Jurgen Klopp was leaving and Slot would replace him, that Liverpool were keeping tabs on the Dutchman’s Eredivisie-winning Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko.
We also understand that Liverpool have been watching Mats Wieffer – another of Slot’s Feyenoord favourites – for around a year. There is interest in Quinten Timber too, the Dutch giants’ box-crashing attacking midfielder.
The £25 million-rated Hancko, in particular, has been nothing short of a revelation since joining Feyenoord from Slavia Prague. So much so that Italian giants Napoli are also rumoured to be interested. Hancko’s agent also confirmed, at the start of 2024 that Paris Saint-Germain have joined Liverpool in scouting the silky Slovakian centre-half.
“(Hancko stands out) not only for his defending,” Feyenoord legend Rinus Israel tells De Telegraaf. “Hancko has a good play-in pass, often dares to go forward and can head (the ball) excellently.
“He is the complete defender.”
As you might have guessed, given Slot’s preference for a bold, possession-based style, Hancko is as comfortable starting attacks as he is stopping them. Countless Feyenoord moves have been triggered by one of the 26-year-old’s trademark, line-breaking balls into midfield, reminiscent of Lisandro Martinez in his Ajax days under Erik ten Hag.
And, even without Slot’s arrival, Liverpool would appear to have an advantage over PSG and Napoli. Hancko is a self-professed Liverpool ‘fan’, having had a special place in his heart for the Merseyside giants ever since that thrilling Champions League final victory over AC Milan in 2005.
An admiration only enhanced once The Reds brought Slovakian icon Martin Skrtel to England from Zenit St Petersburg.
Eredivisie stars could be England-bound this summer
“(Hancko) can easily go to England with Arne Slot,” says former Netherlands international Peter Boeve, while also tipping PSV Eindhoven playmaker Joey Veerman to embark on a big-money switch of his own.
“Veerman is a midfielder who speeds up the game and his passing is of a very high level. He sees the solutions much faster than others. I call him the king of the ‘pre-assist’ and (there is also) a lot of real assists.
“When he is on the ball, players start moving. He is the conductor who plays the midfield.”
Arsenal are one of the clubs tipped to pursue Veerman amid comparisons with two modern-day pass masters in Toni Kroos and Andrea Pirlo.
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