Cody Gakpo is perhaps more familiar with his soon-to-be new manager, Arne Slot, than any of his Liverpool teammates.

The Dutchman became the latest Red to speak about the Feyenoord boss after scoring in Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Speaking to Viaplay, he admitted he was ‘very curious’ about the prospect of his compatriot replacing Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout, as he recalled the ‘often difficult games’ he played against Slot’s Feyenoord side from his own time in the Eredivisie.

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Virgil van Dijk once crossed paths with Slot when his compatriot was still a player for PEC Zwolle and he was still on the books of FC Groningen, while Ryan Gravenberch twice faced off against his Feyenoord side during his final season with Ajax.

Yet it is Gakpo who boasts the most experience against Slot’s side after enjoying a breakthrough season with PSV Eindhoven in 2018/19.

Discounting two meetings with AZ in 2018/19 when Slot was still assistant manager, the Liverpool forward locked horns with his would-be boss four times between October 2019 and September 2022 - losing twice, drawing once, and winning their final meeting.

Registering three goals and three assists from such outings, the now 25-year-old certainly impressed individually against Slot’s sides.

The loss left PSV third in the table with Feyenoord above their rivals in second.

Fast forward to May 2022, and they would fight out a 2-2 draw at De Kuip, with Slot again frustrating Gakpo - despite his best efforts.

The forward, again captaining his side from the left-wing, scored a brace to fire PSV into a 2-0 lead inside the opening half-hour.

Meanwhile, Slot’s side finished the season in the distant third, 12 points off the champions and 10 points off PSV.

Meeting for the final time in September 2022, Gakpo put in an eye-catching performance from the left-wing at the Phillips Stadion to help PSV run out 4-3 winners.

Yet a 1-0 home defeat to AZ Alkmaar in what would prove to be Gakpo’s final appearance for the club in November, prior to his move to Anfield, saw them surrender top spot heading into the 2022 World Cup.

A 5-1 victory for Slot’s Feyenoord over Excelsior the following day saw them claim first place for the first time since the opening day of the season.

And they retained it for the rest of the campaign to win the Eredivisie title for the first time since 2017, as they finished seven points clear of a now Gakpo-less PSV in second.

Both Slot and Gakpo will have shared admiring glances at each other during their overlapping stints in their homeland, with it inevitable that the Liverpool forward would be excited to link up with his former rival.

While he might boast three goals and three assists against his soon-to-be manager's sides from four meetings, such clashes saw the 25-year-old twice on the receiving end of heavy defeats at home, and miss out on both Champions League qualification and two Eredivisie titles.

And having seen Gakpo up close both as a striker and left-winger, at the very least it will be interesting to see where Slot favours fielding the versatile forward when they link up at Anfield next season.


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