Arne Slot is a name Premier League fans need to start learning about as he gears up to take over as Liverpool boss next season.

The Dutchman has transformed Feyenoord into a sublime team since he was appointed manager in 2021 and looks set to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool this summer.

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Liverpool are closing in on the appointment of Feyenoord boss SlotCredit: Getty

The Reds had made the Dutchman their top target to replace Klopp, who will depart at the end of the season.

Fabrizio Romano: Arne Slot to hold ‘direct conversation’ with Virgil van Dijk	Jarrod Bowen, Johan Bakayoko, and Arne Slot wildcard – potential Mohamed Salah replacements for Liverpool	Graeme Souness tells Arne Slot the Liverpool player he must get 'on side' after appointment

talkSPORT understands the Reds have now reached an agreement with Feyenoord for Slot to arrive at Anfield, along with members of his backroom staff.

The 45-year-old has even got the early seal of approval from Klopp to sit in the hot seat at Anfield next year.

However, on a different timeline, he would already be in England as Tottenham boss.

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This is because before Spurs went for Ange Postecoglou in 2023 they tried to bring Slot to north London.

Interestingly, the Dutchman was relatively low down on the list of targets after Vincent Kompany, Roberto De Zerbi and Julian Nagelsmann all ruled themselves out.

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Slot is the man to carry on Klopp's work

But despite Spurs coming close to agreeing a compensation package, Slot rejected the chance to take the Spurs job.

And speaking about why he turned Tottenham down, the Feyenoord boss revealed that the key factor was the Champions League or lack of it.

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Talking after the deal fell through, he said: “The decisive factor was playing the Champions League.

“The fantastic work with the staff and the players, the fact that I’m having a great time privately and being able to build on the past two seasons.

“I didn’t know what would happen [with Tottenham].

But my intention is to stay because that already raises an expectation.”

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Slot has won two trophies as Feyenoord managerCredit: Getty

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However, with Liverpool now almost certain to be playing with Europe's elite next season, the Champions League wasn't an issue for Slot.

Looking at his track record, you can see why Liverpool are so impressed by the Dutchman.

Slot enjoyed a relatively quiet career as a player, spending the majority of his time with FC Zwolle before retiring in 2013.

He immediately became a youth coach at Zwolle before joining SC Cambuur as assistant manager, where he remained until moving to AZ Alkmaar.

Slot was the club's assistant for two years but became the first-team boss in the summer of 2019.

His Alkmaar team were prolific, scoring 118 goals in 58 matches, while he helped the club qualify for the Europa League.

He also boasted the highest win ratio in the club's history, but he was sacked surprisingly in 2020 due to Alkmaar's belief he'd lost focus on the job amid links with Feyenoord.

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Slot had a good relationship with his AZ playersCredit: Getty

Of course, he ended up at Feyenoord less than a year later, and the rest is history.

They won the Eredivisie last season and won the KNVB Cup this year to hand Slot his first pieces of silverware.

The 45-year-old has been compared to Pep Guardiola by Dutch football journalist Marcel van der Kraan, who said: "He's a really good manager and sometimes it can come fast and quick.

"I've followed Feyenoord for 40 years.

Cruyff only had a few disciples who followed him, and one of them was Pep Guardiola.

“I would say Slot is a Guardiola-style manager based on everything I've seen over the past couple of years.

The fans of Feyenoord can't believe what they've seen over that time.”

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Slot appears to be influenced by Guardiola

Of course, the key thing for Liverpool fans is the style of play, and Slot likes to entertain.

Speaking to UEFA about his brand of football, he said: “We are an attack-minded team that likes to have a lot of the ball, and we play with a lot of intensity.

“When we don’t have the ball, we want to win it back as quickly as possible by being aggressive and pressing to win back possession.

I think we are a team that is difficult to beat.”

In many ways, this is exactly how Klopp and Guardiola play, so the transition should be straightforward for Liverpool fans and players.

Slot and Atletico boss Diego Simeone found themselves in a shoving match - after a friendly in 2021.

It was a lost-in-translation moment when Simeone thought Slot was trying to wind him after Feyenoord's 2-1 win.

"At that moment, at the end of the match, I turned to Simeone to tell him how passionate he was even in a friendly match," he said ahead of the team's Champions League clash in 2023.

"Then, he misinterpreted the smile I had at that moment and pushed me.



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The Reds had other options to become their new manager, but the more you learn about Slot, it seems like a perfect fit.

Over to you, Aldo...


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