May 21 – New Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he had little choice but to accept the job as Jurgen Klopp’s successor despite the wrench of leaving Feyenoord.
Slot has been in charge of the Dutch team since 2021, and won the Eredivisie league title in 2022-23 along with the KNVB Cup this season, while Feyenoord also reached the Europa Conference League final in his first season at the club.
“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.”
Klopp stunned world football by announcing in January that he would leave Liverpool at the end of this season and, after much speculation, Slot confirmed on Friday that he would replace the German.
In a statement Liverpool said: “Liverpool Football Club can announce Arne Slot has agreed a deal to become the club’s new head coach, formally taking up the position on June 1, 2024, subject to a work permit.”
Slot was linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job at the end of last season before signing a contract extension at Feyenoord, and his attacking style attracted Liverpool to entice the Dutchman to the Premier League.
Liverpool ended the season third in the Premier League, nine points off champions Manchester City, while Feyenoord finished runners-up to PSV Eindhoven.
Slot was given a rousing send-off by the Feyenoord fans after their final league game of the season on Sunday, a 4-0 home win over Excelsior as the 45-year-old’s three-year spell at the club came to an end.
“I really enjoyed my three years at Feyenoord and felt very much at home from day one, both within the club and with the supporters,” Slot said.
“When I started in Rotterdam in the summer of 2021, I was convinced that it was possible to achieve success at this wonderful club. The fact that we have reached a European final in three years and have won several prizes makes me more than proud.”
Slot will now have the tough task of following in the footsteps of an Anfield icon in Klopp, who ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for the English title in 2020 and won a full set of major trophies in his time there.
“Arne has undeniably left his mark on Feyenoord, showing not only football-loving people in the Netherlands but also beyond the borders what we stand for and are capable of as a club,” said Feyenoord general manager Dennis te Kloese. “Liverpool will gain an extraordinary professional.”
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