 "Arne Slot has reportedly signed a three year deal to become Liverpool's new manager. AFP")
Liverpool officially announced Arne Slot as the new club manager on Monday after Jurgen Klopp bid goodbye to the fans with a victory in the Premier League.
Dutchman Slot joins Liverpool after a three-year spell with Feyenoord in the Eredivisie and the 45-year-old will officially assume office on 1 June subject to a work permit.
Liverpool did not specify the length of Slot’s contract but media reports said he had signed a three-year deal.
The new manager’s arrival was an open secret, with Liverpool reportedly agreeing a compensation deal worth up to £9.4 million with Feyenoord.
He had confirmed Anfield as his next destination in his final pre-match press conference on Friday. On Sunday, Klopp chanted Slot’s name in front of a packed Anfield.
The German urged fans to throw their full support behind his successor, leading them in a chant of “Arne Slot, na na na na na”.
“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.”
What brought Slot to Liverpool?
Slot said the chance to work at one of the world’s biggest clubs was “difficult to ignore”.
“It is certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you have experienced so many wonderful moments and worked successfully with so many wonderful people,” he told Feyenoord’s website on Monday.
“But as a sportsman, an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is difficult to ignore.”
What did Slot achieve at Feyenoord?
Linked with a move to Spurs last year, he became Feyenoord boss in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar.
He led Feyenoord to the inaugural Europa Conference League final in his first season, which they lost 1-0 to AS Roma.
Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to De Kuip last season before penning a three-year deal.
Feyenoord have enjoyed a strong season this time around as well - winning the Dutch Cup and coming second to PSV Eindhoven in the league.
Under Slot, Feyenoord have delighted the fans with an attacking brand of football and he’s won praise from Klopp himself.
“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.”
Liverpool captain and fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk has hailed Slot’s attacking mindset, saying it would suit the philosophy at Anfield.
Speaking about the future under the new boss, Van Dijk said: “It is all about sticking together and giving him the chance of showing what he is capable of with the other guys who will come in.
“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.”