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Liverpool appoint Slot as manager after Klopp’s departure

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Liverpool have confirmed the appointment of Feyenoord manager Arne Slot as their new head coach following Jurgen Klopp’s emotional farewell at Anfield.

The 45-year-old Dutchman will start as head coach on June 1st, Liverpool announced in a statement, pending the issuance of a work visa.

Although Slot’s contract was not made clear by the club, it was widely reported in the British press that he had agreed to a three-year contract.

The arrival of the new manager was made public knowledge, with Liverpool allegedly reaching an agreement on a compensation package of up to £9.4 million ($12 million).

At his last Eredivisie club pre-match press conference on Friday, Slot stated that Anfield was his next stop.

The 56-year-old Klopp declared in January that the 2023–2024 campaign would be his final one at Anfield. On Sunday, he oversaw his farewell match, a 2-0 victory against Wolves.

As he bid farewell to the audience, the German led the cheer “Arne Slot, na na na na na” and urged supporters to fully back his successor.

“You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me,” he said. “You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team.”

After making an impression in his first managing position at AZ Alkmaar, Slot—who was rumoured to be heading to Tottenham last year—became the manager of Feyenoord in 2021.

At the end of his first season, he guided the Dutch giants to their first-ever Europa Conference League final, where they were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s Roma by a close margin.

The previous season, Slot gave De Kuip just his second league title in twenty-four years before signing a new three-year contract.

“You can see people are genuinely sorry you are leaving,” he said on Friday.

“You can say that with words, but when you see it in people’s faces, it affects me quite a lot.”

Feyenoord has had a fantastic season, taking home the Dutch Cup and finishing second in the league behind PSV Eindhoven, who are unbeatable.

Feyenoord’s attacking style of football has thrilled the De Kuip crowd under Slot’s leadership, and Klopp has praised Slot.

“I like the way his team plays football. If he is the one, I like that he wants it,” Klopp said last month.

“It’s the best job in the world, best club in the world. Great job, great team, fantastic people. A really interesting job.”

Virgil van Dijk, a fellow Dutchman and captain of Liverpool, praised Slot’s adventurous style of play, stating it would fit in well at Anfield.

Van Dijk discussed the team’s future under the new manager, saying: “We just need to stay together and give him the opportunity to show what he can do with the other men that will join.

“He probably knows already but everyone knows our expectations are always huge and it is about managing that in the right way and getting the maximum out of all of our players.”

After nine years as manager, Klopp brought Liverpool back to the pinnacle of English and European football. Slot will have big shoes to fill at Anfield.

Liverpool won a 19th league title, a sixth Champions League triumph, and a slew of other trophies under his direction.

At first, Xabi Alonso, the manager of Bayer Leverkusen and a former midfield player for Liverpool, was the front-runner to succeed Klopp at Anfield.

Alonso did, however, pledge to remain at Leverkusen while he guided the team to their first-ever Bundesliga championship.

In addition to winning the League Cup in Klopp’s final season, Liverpool qualified for the Champions League the following season by finishing third in the Premier League.

Photo by EPA/BART STOUTJESDIJK