▲ Arne Slott, expected to coach Liverpool ⓒYonhap News/AFP/EPA ▲ Feyenoord won the KNVB Cup final, beating NEC Breda 1-0 at Feyenoord Stadium in the Netherlands on the 22nd (Korea time). Feyenoord coach Arne Slott picked up the championship trophy. ⓒYonhap News/AFP
[스포티비뉴스=김건일 기자] Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is set to take over as Liverpool manager following Jurgen Klopp.
The British newspaper The Athletic reported on the 26th (Korea time), “Coach Slot said he wants to move to Liverpool,” and “(Director Slot) is confident that an agreement will be reached with Feyenoord.”
Liverpool chose manager Slott as a successor to manager Klopp, who is leaving the team at the end of this season, and made an offer to Feyenoord on the 25th. According to The Athletic, Liverpool did not make a recruitment offer out of respect to Feyenoord before the Dutch Cup final which took place on the 22nd, but made an official offer after the final was over.
▲ Liverpool, who need to find a new head coach this summer, have started talks with manager Arne Slott, who led Feyenoord to the Dutch Eredivisie title.
Liverpool started negotiations through Feyenoord CEO Denis de Klose and made an initial offer of 9 million euros, but Feyenoord did not accept it.
Coach Slot has a contract with Feyenoord until 2026, so he needs compensation.
In an interview held this day before the Eredivisie game against the Gorehat Eagles, coach Slot revealed his true feelings, saying, “It seems clear that I want to work there (Liverpool).”
“(The transfer) has been delayed because the clubs are negotiating,” he said “We are waiting for an agreement to be reached, but I am confident that the transfer will be carried out.”
▲ Manager Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool at the end of the season ⓒ Yonhap News / REUTERS / AFP
Liverpool issued a statement in January and announced that Klopp had decided to step down as manager of Liverpool at the end of this season. Manager Klopp, who announced he would leave Liverpool in 2024 when his contract expires in 2020, did not change his words.
Liverpool have begun the search for a successor to Klopp, led by Fenway Sports Group Chief Football Officer Michael Edwards, who was appointed in November last year, and Richard Hughes, the new sporting director.
The manager Liverpool originally wanted was Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso. Coach Alonso halted Bayern Munich’s back-to-back wins this season and led Bayer Leverkusen to their first championship in 120 years, while also emerging as a great player that European football is paying attention to through going undefeated in 45 consecutive games. As well as Liverpool, Bayern Munich, who are ending their relationship with coach Thomas Tuchel, and Real Madrid, who are looking to replace current coach Ancelotti, have been mentioned as teams targeting coach Alonso .
▲ Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso takes a ‘beer shower’ after confirming the Bundesliga championship. Leverkusen won 5-0 over Werder Bremen in the 29th round of the German Bundesliga 2023-24 held at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany on the 15th (Korea time) and celebrated the victory. With 25 wins, 4 draws, and 79 points in 29 games, they beat Bayern Munich, who had 63 points, and secured an early victory with 5 games remaining © Yonhap News/REUTERS
However, Liverpool’s wishes were thwarted as coach Alonso declared he would remain at Bayer Leverkusen. “I made the decision after several discussions about my future,” said Alonso “This club is a perfect fit for me as a young manager My work at Leverkusen is not over yet “I want to help, the board is great, everything about the club is great.” He continued: “There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding my future since May. But that’s part of the business and I’ve never been stressed about it. It was important not to let it affect the team and the mentality in the squad was good. Everything is clear.”
Liverpool’s next best choice after losing coach Alonso was Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim. However, the discussions with Director Amorim did not go as planned. British newspaper The Athletic reported, “Coach Amorim visited London for further talks with West Ham.” “To this end, we are speeding up the appointment of West Ham to the extent of giving Sporting players a break.”
Coach Slot became a hot topic last summer when he was linked with Tottenham. There were reports that he was likely to be appointed to Tottenham, but according to The Athletic, Tottenham coach Slot refused and chose to renew his contract with Feyenoord.
▲ Coach Arne Slott, who spoke to Tottenham Hotspur after last season, renewed his contract with Feyenoord until 2026. ⓒ Feyenoord homepage
When Tottenham showed interest, British media outlet Evening Standard described coach Slot as “the Dutch Pep Guardiola”. According to The Independent, some Dutch football figures agreed that coach Slot was better than Manchester United coach Eric Tenhag, who led Ajax.
Coach Slott, who started his coaching career at AZ Alkmaar in 2019, attracted attention by leading Alkmaar to second place in the Eredivisie in his first year as coach. They had the same number of points as Ajax with 56 points, but lost on goal difference. If the season had not been shortened due to the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), they could have aimed for the championship.
Coach Slott, who was enjoying success at Alkmaar, was notified of his dismissal in December 2020 after it was discovered that he had taken part in secret talks with Feyenoord. However, he managed to continue his career by signing with Feyenoord. He took charge of Feyenoord starting in the 2021-22 season, and achieved the feat of finishing second in the Europa Conference League in his first year in the job. Also, in the league, the team that was 5th the previous season was lifted to 3rd place.
And last season, with 82 points, they topped the Eredivisie for the first time in six years. During 34 games, they had 25 wins, 7 draws, and only lost twice.
▲ Liverpool, who need to find a new head coach this summer, have started talks with manager Arne Slott, who led Feyenoord to the Dutch Eredivisie title. Sky Sports in the UK are reporting that Coach Slott has started to be discussed as Liverpool’s next head coach.
On this day, Feyenoord defeated the Goahead Eagles 3-1 and accumulated 75 points. However, leaders PSV Eindhoven also won, maintaining a 9-point gap. With only 3 games left, the championship was almost over.
The Athletic explained, “Slot’s attacking style and his record of nurturing young players are consistent with the criteria (for appointing a new manager) put forward by the club along with Bayer Leverkusen coach Alonso and Sporting Lisbon coach Amorim.”
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