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Liverpool FC 2024-25: Arne Slot NANANANA

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 17776

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How Liverpool hired Arne Slot: The data, surprise contenders and why talks grew tense

 

It was in mid-April when Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes boarded a flight to the Netherlands. Back then, the speculation surrounding the club’s impending managerial vacancy was swirling around Ruben Amorim, the highly-rated young coach of Sporting Lisbon.

But rather than head to Portugal, Hughes had a date with a different manager arranged for just outside Rotterdam; one Liverpool had identified as the perfect successor to Jurgen Klopp.

It was the first time Hughes had met Feyenoord coach Arne Slot. Still, by that stage, he felt he knew the 45-year-old inside-out, having spent the previous weeks immersed in the data, video analysis and character references that had established him as Liverpool’s No 1 choice.

Having sat and listened to why he was the preferred candidate, Slot made it clear that this was a challenge he was eager to accept. Keen to avoid creating any unwanted distractions before his Feyenoord side’s KNVB Cup final against NEC Nijmegen on Sunday, April 21, Liverpool waited until after that triumph before opening talks with the Dutch club the following Wednesday.

Feyenoord chief executive Dennis te Kloese proved to be a tough negotiator as the two clubs sorted out a compensation package of around €11million (£9.4m, $11.8m), according to Liverpool sources, while the Dutch club indicated the figures may rise beyond €13m.

Slot agreed terms on a three-year deal, having told Liverpool he was comfortable with the title of head coach rather than manager in a new-look hierarchy at Anfield which sees him answer to Hughes and Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of football Michael Edwards. He will bring assistant Sipke Hulshoff and head of performance Ruben Peeters to Merseyside with him.

An official announcement was delayed until after the end of the season, allowing both Slot and Klopp to say formal goodbyes to their home fans last weekend. Slot will take up his duties on June 1, subject to a work permit.

This is the inside story of Liverpool’s managerial search, gathered from conversations with multiple sources who had detailed knowledge of the process but who asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions. 

We can now reveal:

  • How Slot scored highest on Liverpool’s internal data testing
  • Why Liverpool knew it was impossible to find ‘another Klopp’
  • How Ernesto Valverde and Luciano Spalletti emerged as serious contenders
  • The technical issues that counted against Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi
  • The moment tensions between Feyenoord and Liverpool flared during negotiations
  • His appointment has been warmly received by staff at Anfield

Slot’s arrival is a pivotal moment for him and Liverpool’s new executive pairing of Edwards and Hughes. All three know their reputations will be shaped by what happens next, and whether Klopp’s legacy can be built on.

When Klopp publicly announced his decision on January 26 to stand down at the end of the season, Liverpool’s owners had known for two months that major changes were on the horizon.

Director of research Will Spearman and his team of analysts had been tasked with getting to work on the club’s data-led approach for a suitable replacement.

However, the owners’ initial priority was putting a structure in place that would enable Liverpool to adjust to the post-Klopp era. Central to that plan was convincing Edwards to return two years after he had stepped down as sporting director, with FSG president Mike Gordon keen to take a step back.

Once Edwards was handed overall control of football operations in early March, the appointment of Hughes as sporting director was a formality. The former Scotland international, whose association with Edwards goes back two decades to their time together at Portsmouth, was already serving his notice period at Bournemouth.

Together they set about assessing the credentials of coaches across Europe.

The criteria were clear. Liverpool wanted a coach with a distinct identity in terms of his brand of football: dynamic, high energy and possession-based. Being prepared to take the title of head coach, rather than manager, was important. But while the successful candidate needed to have proved himself as a hands-on training ground operator, he also needed to harness the power of Liverpool’s fanbase in the tradition of the club’s most successful managers. 

A good record of keeping players fit and available was considered vital, as was a history of improving players. The focus was on making the right choice — not necessarily the most popular one — and Hughes and Edwards were prepared to be courageous in their decision-making.

Externally, Xabi Alonso was viewed as the front-runner. The Spaniard, who has transformed the fortunes of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, was putting his side on course for their first league title in their 119-year history. He also has a close bond with Liverpool from his playing days. Even Klopp, who played no part in the process, described Alonso as “incredible” and the “standout” manager of a new generation of coaches.

There was an obvious appeal to Alonso, but as far back as February it was regarded by Edwards and the Liverpool hierarchy as unlikely. 

Hughes has a strong relationship with Alonso’s agent Inaki Ibanez, who also represents Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola. They had discussed Alonso’s burgeoning managerial career — and possible future path — long before Hughes was lined up to join Edwards in shaping the post-Klopp era at Liverpool.

Those conversations intensified around the time Hughes’s move to Merseyside was confirmed, but Ibanez was insistent: Alonso intended to stay at Leverkusen next season and did not want to discuss any other job, not even at his former clubs Liverpool or Bayern Munich.

Bayern’s very public pursuit of Alonso while lagging behind his Leverkusen team in the Bundesliga title race, muddied the waters. Reports from Munich suggested Bayern would be his favoured destination if he were to move. Liverpool believed the opposite, but that Alonso was likely to stay put.

That line of communication was kept open, but the message from Ibanez did not change. Alonso did not want any offers or proposals.

Alonso stated publicly on March 29 that he would be staying at Leverkusen, following talks with his club’s sporting director Simon Rolfes during the international break. The call Hughes received from Ibanez earlier that week had merely confirmed what the Scot already knew.

Nobody at Liverpool denies Alonso would have been a serious candidate if he had been open to taking the job. But they dispute that a declaration of interest from their former midfielder would have made it a one-horse race. Slot, they say, was firmly in their thoughts by that point.

When Liverpool appointed Klopp in succession to Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, FSG put great trust in the data that was presented to them by Edwards, who had recently been appointed technical director, and theoretical physicist Ian Graham.

At that time, much of it was highlighting the excellence of Borussia Dortmund’s record under Klopp and how, even though results had dipped significantly in his final season in charge, the relatively new phenomenon of expected goals (xG) illustrated they had endured a somewhat freakish run of bad luck that should not deter them appointing him – a sound recommendation, it turned out.

Nearly a decade on, Liverpool’s data-gathering goes much deeper. Spearman, a Chicago-born Harvard-educated physicist who spent five years as Liverpool’s lead data scientist before succeeding Graham as the club’s director of research in January last year, has been working on an algorithm that evaluates coaching performance on a wide range of metrics — not just team performance but playing style, individual player development, compatibility with different types of players etc — to predict future outcomes and suitability for certain jobs.

Slot’s scores, reflecting his performance during three seasons in charge of Feyenoord, are said to have been blindingly impressive: “Top of the top”. Hughes and Edwards had already discussed Slot, among others, as a strong contender. But they had not expected the data to bring such a resounding endorsement of his candidacy.

It wasn’t just the data. Hughes had studied Slot’s Feyenoord team extensively in his role as Bournemouth technical director, signing Argentina defender Marcos Senesi from the Dutch club in August 2022 and having also watched other players such as right-back Marcus Pedersen (now on loan at Italian club Sassuolo), left-back Quilindschy Hartman (who has filled the gap left by Tyrell Malacia’s move to Manchester United in July 2022) and Colombia winger Luis Sinisterra (who ended up joining Bournemouth via a year at Leeds United).

There were other Feyenoord players Hughes looked at, on his scouts’ recommendation. But it became a standing joke in Bournemouth’s recruitment department as Hughes told his scouts to stop recommending Feyenoord players because: “It’s not about the players. It’s about the coach and his system.”

There was a recognition inside Liverpool that it would be impossible to find a facsimile of Klopp — and, because he was regarded as such a one-off, that it would be ill-advised to try. But in Slot, they saw some appealing parallels with the German coach who won seven major trophies at Anfield and has been the club’s most transformative manager since Bill Shankly. Edwards and Hughes feel Slot’s exciting, intense, high-pressing, possession-based brand of attacking football ticked the box of energising Liverpool’s players and crowd. Given their belief in the playing talent already at the club, they are convinced his style will be a good fit for the squad he inherits.

Crucially, given that Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns and Lewis Koumas have made the step up to senior football this season, Slot also has a proven track record of putting his faith in and developing young talent.

 

The data served to underline how Slot had Feyenoord punching above their weight. In May 2022, he led them to the final of the Europa Conference League (where they were beaten 1-0 by Roma). Domestically, he was crowned Eredivisie manager of the year.

Despite the departures of key players and having only a fraction of the resources available to rivals PSV Eindhoven and Ajax, he led a new-look team to league title glory and the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2022-23.

 

This season they won the KNVB Cup and finished runners-up to PSV in the league. His first taste of managing in the Champions League saw them finish third in their group behind Atletico Madrid and Lazio before dropping into the Europa League where they were beaten on penalties, again by Roma.

Liverpool’s current coaching staff were not asked for their views on Klopp’s successor, but Slot has a big advocate in Pep Lijnders, who will also leave the club this summer.

Slot visited Lijnders’ house when he was starting as a youth coach nearly a decade ago and they exchanged ideas over several hours. Lijnders regards Slot as the best Dutch coach around: someone who is tactically smart and an innovator, with a clear playing style and the personality to handle the step up.

In recent years, Lijnders has frequently talked up Slot’s body of work in conversations with senior Anfield figures.

Hughes also spoke to Bournemouth defender Senesi and others who have played for him, but also people who have seen his work at Feyenoord at close quarters. A consistent message from Rotterdam cited the way he transmits his energy to the players and the fanbase. 

Like Liverpool, Rotterdam is a football-mad port city. The way he has taken the players, the club and the fanbase on a journey with him was felt to be pleasingly familiar. That was not a prerequisite in the search for Klopp’s successor. But in Slot’s case, on top of his other qualities, it was a bonus.

For at least three weeks after Alonso ruled himself out of contention, the coach most persistently linked to the Liverpool job was Amorim, who has led Sporting to the brink of a second Primeira Liga title in four seasons, and who before his appointment had not won the title in 19 years.

In the second week of April, reports in Portugal suggested Amorim had been offered the position as Klopp’s successor and had verbally agreed a three-year contract. Liverpool vehemently denied that, as did the man himself. “There was no interview and certainly no agreement,” the 39-year-old said on April 11.

The reports about Amorim — whose fitness coach at Sporting, Paulo Barreira, was a former Anfield staff member — caused a degree of annoyance at Liverpool, who did not want any candidate, such as Slot, thinking the job had been offered to anyone else. The reality is that Amorim, who was keen to move to the Premier League, did feature on Liverpool’s list, having scored well in much of the data analysis, but he was never a front-runner. Amorim’s agent Raul Costa came to Merseyside in early April but that trip was primarily to visit Luis Diaz, the Liverpool winger he also represents.

While impressed by his record, Edwards and Hughes had doubts about Amorim’s compatibility with the Liverpool job specifically.

They were unconvinced that his preference for a three-man central defence — shared by Alonso at Leverkusen, incidentally — would suit many of the players he would be working with. But more significant was a nagging concern about Amorim’s playing style. Sporting may have scored 96 goals in 34 league matches this season, but theirs is regarded as a slower style that is less front-foot — both in and out of possession. 

There were similar conclusions about De Zerbi at Brighton and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann. Like Amorim, De Zerbi was on a theoretical shortlist but not one of the first names on it. Playing style and compatibility with Liverpool were again considered to be a factor.

Others who were discussed briefly included Iraola, whose Bournemouth contract had been due to expire in 2025 (he signed a new one last week), and Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe, having both worked under Hughes at Bournemouth, together with Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness (whose data scores were closely aligned with Klopp’s, and who had many admirers at Liverpool) and Michel, who has enjoyed a superb season at Girona in La Liga.

 

Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi (a well-respected coach whose lack of English was potentially problematic) and Lille’s Paulo Fonseca (now interesting AC Milan) were also considered, but they were never seriously in the frame. 

Bayern’s outgoing coach Thomas Tuchel, who succeeded Klopp at Dortmund in 2015 and won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, was not in contention. Indeed, many of the names linked to the job were either never in the frame due to being incompatible with Liverpool’s criteria or were simply pushing their candidatures.

The claims of Ernesto Valverde, however, were regarded by Liverpool as much stronger. The 60-year-old was a leading contender, having won two league titles at Barcelona, three championships in Greece with Olympiacos and recently ended Athletic Bilbao’s 40-year wait for a major trophy by winning the Copa del Rey last month. He would also have fitted the ‘brave’ ‘criteria laid out by Hughes and Edwards.

Luciano Spalletti, 65, was also of significant interest. Last season, he guided Napoli to their first Serie A title since 1990, but he had only been appointed to manage the Italy national team last August. The fact that both men were seriously considered, however, suggested that age was not a major consideration in Liverpool’s thinking.

When Edwards and Hughes set out to find Klopp’s successor, they envisaged a process where they might start with 20 candidates and gradually whittle them down to 10, then perhaps five and then three for a final round of interviews.

It ended up being more straightforward than that. They might have had a notional shortlist, but they also had settled on Slot as their preferred candidate and successfully persuaded Gordon and the rest of Liverpool’s ownership team to open formal negotiations with Feyenoord.
 

When Klopp originally announced his decision to stand down at the end of this season, Feyenoord executives did not believe they had much cause for concern.

They knew Slot would score well on data assessments of high-performing European managers, but there was no expectation that a club with the scope and size of Liverpool would come in for him. But the landscape changed dramatically. Feyenoord were not thrilled to learn that Liverpool’s approach to them had only taken place after talks had been held with Slot.

On one level, Liverpool’s strategy made sense because, with no release clause in Slot’s contract at De Kuip, they needed to secure his approval and potentially agitate in order to force matters. But with the world now knowing that Slot was Liverpool’s top target, it strengthened the Dutch club’s negotiating position. They could now force up the price.

Hughes came up against Feyenoord chief executive Te Kloese, who has previously worked as general manager at Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS, and been director of youth football and general manager at the Mexican Football Association.

 

Te Kloese is regarded as a strong negotiator and having played a key role in Feyenoord’s finances and player recruitment, his importance in the club’s recent achievements could be seen to rival Slot’s. 

Another club’s sporting director, who came up against him previously, said: “I love his approach. To your face, he will be smiling and you think it is moving, but then nothing moves in the background until he is really happy with his deal.”

Feyenoord had become well accustomed to rumours linking Slot with a move to the Premier League. He had rejected previous approaches from Leeds United and Crystal Palace before Tottenham Hotspur tried to secure his services last summer.

Contingency plans were made and potential replacements considered on that occasion, but Te Kloese persuaded him to stay and sign a new deal.

Slot’s previous contract stipulated that he could have been extracted for a fixed sum of €5million in the summer of 2024. But his new contract, which theoretically ran until 2026, removed that clause and strengthened Feyenoord’s hand.

Negotiations with Liverpool started on the morning of April 24 and tensions spiked after an initial offer of €9m was rejected.

That prompted Slot to speak out prior to Feyenoord’s Eredivisie game against Go Ahead Eagles four days later when he declared it was “clear” he wanted to take over at Liverpool and that he was “confident” the two sides would reach an agreement.

Slot referred to the fact that he had generated a lot of money for Feyenoord by developing players who had been subsequently sold on and that they would be receiving the highest compensation fee ever paid for a Dutch coach.

Talks continued throughout the Friday and, with Saturday, April 27 being King’s Day — a public holiday in the Netherlands — there were fears they might drag on until the following week.

However, an improved offer from Hughes broke the impasse and a verbal agreement was secured on Friday evening. Liverpool then began to sort out the finer details on personal terms in discussions with Slot and his representative Rafaela Pimenta, the highly influential agent who also represents Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.

Slot had hoped to convince Marino Pusic, formerly an assistant at Feyenoord, to be on his Anfield staff, but he only joined Shakhtar Donetsk as their head coach last October and wishes to remain in that job.

Slot will be joined by trusted assistant Hulshoff, who is no stranger to Liverpool trio Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch as he also served on the Netherlands national team staff with Ronald Koeman. Head of performance Peeters will also make the switch to Liverpool.

 

Appointing Slot is not without risk, and some outside of Anfield are sceptical. He has just two major Dutch trophies to his name, which is low for a manager of a club with Liverpool’s profile, and has had only fleeting experiences in the Champions League. Klopp, too, only had three major trophies on his CV when he arrived at Anfield — but two were Bundesliga titles, with a greater cachet than the Eredivisie, and he had also reached a Champions League final.

Slot is also a forthright personality. He has high standards and is used to getting what he wants, which helps explain his success but can also be antagonistic. There was a flash of this in the way he publicly called to be allowed to join Liverpool when negotiations with Feyenoord over compensation threatened to become difficult, but a more pronounced example came at AZ Alkmaar in December 2020.

Feyenoord had announced that Dick Advocaat would be leaving his role as manager at the end of the season and held talks with Slot. AZ, who did not know these discussions were taking place, were furious and sacked Slot for going behind their backs (Slot eventually joined Feyenoord in the summer of 2021). But as his AZ predecessor John van den Brom observed of the situation: “You always want to leave by the front door. So it wasn’t good for Arne and it wasn’t good for the club.”

None of this will surprise Hughes and Edwards, but Liverpool will need them to quickly develop an effective working relationship with Slot as they plot their post-Klopp future.

His appointment has been received well internally at Liverpool, where some staff members have had contact with him stretching back long before this process began. They consider him likeable and collaborative and feel that Slot seems to be an ideal cultural fit. 

The size of the task awaiting Slot was obvious on Sunday, when Klopp’s send-off from Anfield prompted an outpouring of emotion rarely seen in English football.

Replacing him will not be easy but Liverpool are convinced they have the right man.


How Liverpool Hired Arne Slot

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mdmost

mdmost 42698

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We open on the road at Ipswich. Nice little kiss for the newbies. Saw that Liverpool were the last team Ipswich played before being sent down in 2002. 

 

Edited by mdmost
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mdmost

mdmost 42698

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Rumors that we were looking at buying Anthony Gordon from Newcastle but they wanted Quansah in return and we noped that shit. You cannot lose a guy with the potential of Quansah. Newcastle needs to move Gordon to get under the FPP rules. 

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mdmost

mdmost 42698

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First preseason match is tomorrow in Pittsburgh. Lots of players missing because of the Euros. Mo looks to be in very good shape. We're either going to be late buyers or we're rolling with what we have. TAA is supposedly mulling over a new contract. This should also be Mo's last season so let's enjoy it while we can. 

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Bodowned

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Seeing them in Columbia tonight — hoping the weather holds up and we see a good amount of first teamers in action. Would love to see Slot establish the bald coach hierarchy in the EPL with a nice thrashing.

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yoladu

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On 8/4/2024 at 3:22 PM, mdmost said:

I'd really like to see Carvalho stay around and push for time this season. I feel like we're going to sell him if we get a good offer. 

Southampton has put in an offer. Of course it was way low.

Saints don't really have the money to splash for a player of his caliber.

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mdmost

mdmost 42698

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1 minute ago, yoladu said:

Southampton has put in an offer. Of course it was way low.

Saints don't really have the money to splash for a player of his caliber.

If he can get a starting spot, I would not begrudge him leaving. 

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yoladu

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27.5 mil? jeez.. i think Southampton's bid was 15 mil. When we can't compete with the Brentford's of the world..

 

going to be a miracle if Southampton doesnt go right back down to the Championship.

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 17776

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6 hours ago, yoladu said:

27.5 mil? jeez.. i think Southampton's bid was 15 mil. When we can't compete with the Brentford's of the world..

 

going to be a miracle if Southampton doesnt go right back down to the Championship.


Yeah, the money makes no sense to me. He’s a solid prospect but far from proven. 

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 17776

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13 minutes ago, mdmost said:

We also get a little kiss on the Solanke sale to Spurs since we had a sell-on clause. 

Close to £30m total between his Bournemouth fee and the sell on fee. From a free transfer that scored 1 goal for us. #laptopnerds

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YoungCounty

YoungCounty 165

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I know close to nothing about soccer.  Although I did coach my daughters' teams for a few years when they were younger.

I have several friends who are huge fans of the game, and I had lots of fun this summer watching/discussing the EURO games with them.  So, I have decided I am finally going to start following the sport/a team.  And I needed a team to support so I can truly get into it. I ruled out any team in/around London.  Of the cities left, I asked my wife which one she would most prefer to visit at some point in the future.  She picked Liverpool.  So, that is my team now!

I look forward to watching my first English Premiere match tomorrow morning at 6:30.  And I am excited to follow this thread throughout the season and hopefully learn a lot from you all.

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Firemans4Horn

Firemans4Horn 17776

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5 hours ago, YoungCounty said:

I know close to nothing about soccer.  Although I did coach my daughters' teams for a few years when they were younger.

I have several friends who are huge fans of the game, and I had lots of fun this summer watching/discussing the EURO games with them.  So, I have decided I am finally going to start following the sport/a team.  And I needed a team to support so I can truly get into it. I ruled out any team in/around London.  Of the cities left, I asked my wife which one she would most prefer to visit at some point in the future.  She picked Liverpool.  So, that is my team now!

I look forward to watching my first English Premiere match tomorrow morning at 6:30.  And I am excited to follow this thread throughout the season and hopefully learn a lot from you all.


Welcome. I coach my daughter’s team and the best part of my week is watching Liverpool games with her and my son on Saturday mornings. 
 

🎶 LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL 🎶 

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