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Bolo Zenden has expressed his surprise at Liverpool’s choice of Arne Slot as the successor to Jurgen Klopp as manager.

Initially, the Reds were heavily linked with Zenden’s former teammate Xabi Alonso for the role, only for the Spaniard to decide to remain at Bayer Leverkusen.

Subsequently, Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim emerged as the next frontrunner.

However, Liverpool surprised many by opting for Feyenoord’s Slot, finalizing a deal with the Eredivisie club late last month.

Zenden, who made 49 appearances for Liverpool over two seasons between 2005 and 2007, has previously crossed paths with Slot in the Eredivisie.

The 47-year-old spent seven years at PSV Eindhoven as a coach and assistant manager between 2015 and 2022, during which Slot managed SC Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar, and Feyenoord.

PSV secured two Eredivisie titles and a KNVB Cup during Zenden’s tenure on the coaching staff, while Slot himself has won both honours with Feyenoord over the past two years.

As Slot prepares to step into the daunting role of replacing Klopp at Anfield, Zenden has provided insights into what Liverpool can anticipate ahead of their impending managerial transition.

“Someone said life is like a box full of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get until it’s there,” the former Liverpool midfielder told voetbalnieuws.nl.

“And it’s the same with Slot.

“You never know what the change will be like.

“I guess everybody was a little bit surprised when his name came out of the hat, if you want to call it that, because there were a few favourites.

“He likes to play a pressing game, put pressure on the front, the build-up of the opponent, and the earlier you can win the ball back in the opposite half, the closer you are to the opposition goal.

“Anybody taking over from Klopp at the minute has a huge task ahead of him?

“But it definitely will be interesting to see how he deals with these situations.”

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