Arne Slot may hand Liverpool lifeline to centre-back who's become one of 'Europe's best' while on loan
Arne Slot might never have managed outside of the Netherlands, but he has already directly crossed paths with a handful of his would-be Liverpool players in the past.
The Dutchman is the Reds’ first-choice to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout as club bosses ramp up their efforts to name a successor. Settling on Slot, they have now agreed a compensation deal with Feyenoord that could be worth £9.4m.
Slot had already confirmed publicly that he wants to move to Liverpool and, with everything now set in place, he looks likely to be granted his wish and become the Reds' next first-team manager.
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Unsurprisingly the Dutch players in the Liverpool squad are likely to be those most familiar with Slot. Captain Virgil van Dijk has already endorsed his compatriot as a successor to Klopp, lauding him as ‘one of the better Dutch coaches at the moment,’ and believing he has the potential to be a possible Liverpool coach.
Meanwhile, Van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch have all worked closely with Slot’s trusted assistant manager, Sipke Hulshoff, over the past 18 months. Holding the same position with the Netherlands national team, Van Dijk has previously spoken highly of Hulshoff number two as a result.
Liverpool’s skipper started his senior career in his homeland with FC Groningen, but had left the Eredivisie to join Celtic in a £2.6m deal in June 2013 prior to his potential new manager first embarking on a coaching career. However, the pair did lock horns during the latter stages of Slot’s playing career, with Van Dijk completing the full 90 minutes
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