Arne Slot named as Klopp successor at Liverpool

Arne Slot has been confirmed as Liverpool manager with the 45-year-old officially announced as Jürgen Klopp’s successor at Anfield 24 hours after his predecessor’s final game in charge.

Slot waved farewell to Dutch club Feyenoord on Sunday after a 4-0 win against Excelsior in Rotterdam and will start his new role at Liverpool on June 1.

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Sources have told ESPN that Slot has signed a three-year contract at Anfield, securing him to the club until the end of the 2026-27 season.

Liverpool agreed a £9.4 million ($11.9m) compensation package with Feyenoord earlier this month and quickly reached an agreement on personal terms with Slot, but an announcement on his appointment was delayed in order to not overshadow Klopp’s departure.

However, Slot confirmed the news this past Friday by saying in his final Feyenoord news conference that he would be moving to Anfield to take over at Liverpool.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim — who both guided their teams to domestic titles this season — were also considered by Liverpool and Michael Edwards, the head of football with owners Fenway Sports Group, before a decision was made to hire Slot last month.

Sources have told ESPN that Liverpool chose Slot after a “thorough process of due diligence” that involved data analysis and research in the character and performance of all potential appointees.

Slot emerged as the preferred candidate, and his readiness to take the job enabled Liverpool to move quickly and secure Klopp’s successor.

Sources have said that the difficulties experienced by Bayern Munich in hiring a coach to replace Thomas Tuchel underline the challenges faced by clubs in the manager recruitment market this year.

Sources have said that Liverpool were impressed by Slot’s reputation for overperformance in terms of points per game at AZ Alkmaar before moving to Feyenoord, where he further boosted his reputation by winning an Eredivisie title in 2022-23 and taking the team to the final of the Europa Conference League in 2022.

There is also a belief within Anfield that Slot’s reputation for playing dynamic, high-energy and possession-based football, combined with his communication skills, makes him the ideal successor to Klopp.

“It’s certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you’ve had so many great moments and worked successfully with so many great people,” Slot said in a statement on Feyenoord’s website.

“But an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is hard to ignore as a sportsman.”

Slot’s first game in charge will be a preseason friendly against Real Betis in Pittsburgh on July 26.

Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the season after a storied 8½ years in charge that saw the Merseyside club lift the Champions League and end a 30-year wait for the Premier League title.

Klopp’s final game was a 2-0 home win over Wolves as Liverpool finished third in the league.

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.