Reports suggest that a number of experienced Liverpool players are not fully convinced by the decision to appoint Arne Slot as their new head coach.
Arne Slot, currently leading Feyenoord, is rumored to be close to a move to Anfield, taking over as Jurgen Klopp concludes his remarkable nine-year tenure at the season’s end.
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Slot has been at the helm of Feyenoord since 2021, steering them to an Eredivisie triumph last season and orchestrating their successful KNVB-Beker campaign this year.
Under Slot’s leadership, Feyenoord reached the final of the 2021-22 Europa Conference League, and he was also sought after by Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023.
Despite Tottenham’s interest, Slot chose to extend his contract with Feyenoord. However, the chance to fill Klopp’s role at Liverpool was too alluring to dismiss.
It is believed that Liverpool and Feyenoord have agreed on a compensation deal for Slot, starting at £7.7m and potentially increasing to £9.4m with additional performance-related bonuses.
Slot had expressed his ambition to manage Liverpool even before the financial agreement was finalized, and he has indicated that an official announcement regarding his future is imminent.
Nonetheless, Football Insider has reported that Liverpool’s squad was not informed about Slot’s impending appointment by Fenway Sports Group’s Michael Edwards, now the CEO of Football for the club’s owners.
The news of Slot’s anticipated arrival has reportedly received a tepid reception from the team, presenting Slot with an immediate challenge as he seeks to gain the trust of his new squad.
Slot’s assistants, Sipke Hulshoff, Ruben Peeters, and Etienne Reijnen, are expected to join him at Anfield this summer, coinciding with the departure of Klopp’s coaching staff, including Pep Lijnders, Vitor Matos, and Peter Krawietz.
Liverpool’s management was informed by Klopp of his departure plans two months in advance, although they had to address the hiring of a new sporting director and manage Edwards’s return before focusing on finding a new head coach.
During this period, Liverpool supporters were enthusiastic about the prospect of Xabi Alonso, the 2005 Champions League-winning midfielder, becoming the head coach due to his impressive tenure at Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Alonso was never the primary choice for Liverpool, and he remained committed to Bayer Leverkusen, which led to the intrigue surrounding Ruben Amorim.
Amorim, the manager of Sporting Lisbon, emerged as the leading candidate but engaged in discussions with West Ham United before deciding to stay in Portugal.
Other notable figures such as Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham Hotspur), Julian Nagelsmann (Germany), Thomas Frank (Brentford), and Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton & Hove Albion) were considered, along with Klopp’s deputy Lijnders, who quickly dismissed the idea of being promoted.
