Former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders, who will depart the club alongside Jurgen Klopp, has given his verdict on Arne Slot.
Ex-Feyenoord boss Arne Slot will begin work at Anfield on the 1st of June with HITC reporting that the Dutchman put pen to paper on a three-year contract with Liverpool.
For the first time in nine years, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders will not be on the side-lines trying to push their Liverpool team on, but instead the Dutchman will take the reins.
Slot was chosen after a meticulous process at Anfield, which involves going through a large amount of data, before the Merseyside club eventually landed on the Dutchman.
Lijnders on Slot
Well, former Liverpool assistant manager Lijnders has given his verdict as to whether the Dutchman has the tools to succeed at one of England’s biggest clubs.
“I know Arne really well,” Lijnders told The Athletic. “He came to my house in Holland about nine years ago. He came to speak to me about football. He drove for a long time to see me and he had a thousand questions. I tried to answer them all!
“Since then, we’ve stayed in close contact. He’s an unbelievable coach, who knows exactly what he wants and has the experience to be at a club like Liverpool.
“There are similarities between Feyenoord and Liverpool. Their fans are so passionate. They also sing You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Lijnders added: “You need a coach like Arne who is close to what we tried to do over the years, in terms of having the ball in the opposition half, pressing, counter-pressing – he’s very strategic in that point of view. He’s made good steps and now it’s the chance for him to make another big step.”
Slot’s Liverpool task
The Anfield club are set to embark on a rebuild this summer with multiple key players potentially on their way out of the club. Slot will have his own targets in mind for key positions.
A new centre-forward, as well as a midfielder and a centre-back could be high on Slot’s list. Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who HITC reported is a target for the Reds, has opened the door to a summer move.
It cannot be stressed enough just how important getting the managerial decision correct is for the future of the club. If Slot comes in and embraces the passion and culture of the Anfield faithful, he could be the Klopp replacement they were looking for.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
