Arne Slot's former assistant rejects chance to join his Anfield backroom staff

Arne Slot has been rejected by his former assistant Marino Pusic in an attempt to bring him to Liverpool as part of the backroom staff when he takes over at Anfield, according to sources in Ukraine.

The Reds negotiations for Slot were relatively smooth but any hiccups were down to the number of staff the Dutchman brought with him from Feyenoord, with the Rotterdam club rightly digging their heels in to avoid mass exits.

And it is understood one of the names Slot wanted was Pusic, who is the current manager of Shakhtar Donetsk after serving at Feyenoord and AZ Alkmaar under the incoming Liverpool boss.

But the 52-year-old is happy at Shakhtar and does not wish to leave.

Slot will bring right-hand man Sipke Hulshoff, head of performance Ruben Peeters and analyst Etienne Reijnen with him to Liverpool, subject to work permits.

That goes some way to filling the large number of exits from Jurgen Klopp and his lieutenants.

Speaking of Shakhtar, midfielder Giorgi Sudakov has been linked with Liverpool by the Ukrainian press.

Sources close to the 21-year-old say there is nothing concrete in those reports at the moment but the fee they want, around £55million, means English clubs would be keen.

Shakhtar turned down a bid of around £35m from Napoli in January but believe his value is significantly more than that.

The midfielder is also set to play in the European Championships so his price-tag could increase further.

Coaching was child's play for Slot!

Arne Slot's brother has outlined how the new Liverpool manager started coaching football at the age of just 14, setting in motion a managerial career that has led him to one of the biggest jobs in sport.

Jakko Slot, who is the commercial director of athletics company FBK Games and has worked