Jurgen Klopp offers view on potential Arne Slot arrival at Liverpool

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 26 April 2024

Klopp offers view on potential Slot arrival at Liverpool

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp reacts to reports that Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is set to become the Merseyside club's new head coach.

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has seemingly endorsed Arne Slot's arrival at Anfield as his successor.

Klopp will officially stand down from his role as manager of the Merseyside giants at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, and Slot, who is currently in charge of Feyenoord, is the firm favourite to replace him.

Discussions between Liverpool and Feyenoord are believed to have been positive, with a compensation fee of around £9m potentially being agreed between the two clubs.

Klopp has insisted that he 'does not know anything about' the finer details of the negotiations, but the German said that he 'likes the way Slot's team plays football' and also branded the Dutchman "a good guy".

"I don't know anything about it. I'm not involved in the process. What I like is that, if he is the one, he wants the job. He is excited. I like the way his team plays football. All the things I hear about him are that he's a good guy," Klopp told reporters during Friday's press conference.

Feyenoord coach Arne Slot on April 20, 2023 © Reuters

Jurgen Klopp endorses Arne Slot's arrival at Liverpool

"I'm looking forward for the club if he is the solution. It all sounds really good. It's the best job in the world. It will help that we're not finishing on a high so there's space for improvement."

Liverpool will be aiming to bounce back from Wednesday's 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby when they head to West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds are third in the table, three points behind the leaders Arsenal, while they are two points behind second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Klopp has claimed that both Arsenal and Man City would have discounted his side from the title race following the damaging defeat at Goodison Park last time out.

"I'm pretty sure Arsenal and City now see it as a two-horse race. They might say something different publicly but they won't expect to lose two games. I don't expect them to do it," he added.

Liverpool's Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai look dejected after Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite scores their first goal on April 24, 2024 © Reuters

Jurgen Klopp admits title is unlikely after derby defeat

"Is it possible that we were a bit tired? Yes, of course. It's a long season. Did anyone expect us to be champions at the beginning of the season? No. But nobody here is happy. We cannot go back to the point where we say 'It's good enough'. Because we were so close, we are very disappointed.

"Is this group not as experienced as the group we had before? Yes, of course. The worst thing about a defeat is if you don't learn from it. Experience, you cannot buy - you have to make them yourself.

"I would not assess it now. I have no clue, so I am not in the mood to give up, wave the white flag. I just think we have to look after ourselves; just make sure that we play better football.

"I said after the game 'Why should a team who play like us against Everton be champions?' But the football we played before, a lot of good stuff. In January we looked invincible, with a depleted squad. Everybody went in the same direction, go for it, squeezed out results. So, we deserve to be where we are."

Liverpool won the EFL Cup earlier this year, but they were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals by Manchester United and were beaten in the last eight of the Europa League by Atalanta BC.