An official announcement was made at Anfield 24 hours after Jürgen Klopp’s last game in command, appointing 45-year-old Arne Slot as Manager of Liverpool.
After a 4-0 victory over Excelsior in Rotterdam on Sunday, Slot bid adieu to the Dutch team Feyenoord and will begin his new position at Liverpool on June 1.
Liverpool swiftly came to a personal terms agreement with Slot after agreeing to a compensation settlement worth £9.4 million ($11.9 million) with Feyenoord earlier this month. However, the news of Slot’s appointment was postponed so as not to overshadow Klopp’s departure.
Slot, however, made the announcement that he would be transferring to Anfield to take over at Liverpool this past Friday during his farewell Feyenoord news conference, confirming the story.
Before Slot was hired last month, Liverpool and Michael Edwards, the head of football with owners Fenway Sports Group, took into consideration Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim, who both led their sides to domestic triumphs this season.
Slot became the clear favorite, and his willingness to take on the role made it possible for Liverpool to act swiftly and appoint Klopp’s replacement.
According to sources, Bayern Munich’s troubles in finding a coach to take over for Thomas Tuchel highlight the difficulties clubs are facing in this year’s manager recruitment market.
According to sources, Slot’s reputation for outperforming at AZ Alkmaar in terms of points per game before moving to Feyenoord, where he won an Eredivisie title in 2022–2023 and led the team to the Europa Conference League final in 2022, further enhanced his reputation. This is reportedly what impressed Liverpool.
Anfield also has the opinion that Slot is the perfect replacement for Klopp because of his reputation for playing possession-based, exciting, high-energy game and his ability to communicate well.
In a statement posted on Feyenoord’s website, Slot said, “It’s certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you’ve had so many great moments and worked successfully with so many great people.”
“But an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is hard to ignore as a sportsman.”
On July 26, Slot will take control of his debut match, a preseason friendly against Real Betis in Pittsburgh.
After a legendary 8 and a half years in command that saw the Merseyside club win the Champions League and snap a 30-year Premier League title drought, Klopp departed Liverpool at the end of the season.
Liverpool finished third in the league thanks to a 2-0 victory over Wolves at home in Klopp’s final match.
