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Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has warned Arne Slot faces a “huge jump” from Feyenoord to Anfield after the Dutchman was identified as the preferred candidate to take over from Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.

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Liverpool have opened talks with Feyenoord over the appointment of the 45-year-old, who led the Dutch club to their first Eredivisie title in six years last season.

Slot, a former midfielder who had an 18-year playing career, rose steadily through the coaching ranks in the Netherlands but has impressed at Feyenoord, who are set to demand significant compensation.

Slot has also attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona as they look to replace Thomas Tuchel and Xavi respectively, while the task of potentially replacing Klopp after nine years is an enormous one.

Liverpool had also considered Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim after Xabi Alonso, the early favourite for the job, decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season.

“From Feyenoord to Liverpool is a huge jump and I think it shows at this moment that there’s probably a dearth of real top managers out there when you look at who Liverpool are going for,” Carragher said on Sky Sports.

“Initially it was Xabi Alonso - it’s only his first full season as a manager - then there was talk of Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon, who’s only 39.

Now Arne Slot is the favourite right now.

“I think it’s a huge jump but he’s obviously a great coach with a great track record so far.

We’ll see.”

Slot has developed steadily as a coach in the last 10 years and reportedly turned down the Tottenham job last summer, penning a new deal at Feyenoord to 2026.

He is said to be eager to join Liverpool, with compensation set to be around the £10m mark, and the release clause in his contract can’t be activated until next year.

Slot is known for his aggressive, dominant style of football and places a big emphasis on developing young players and improving senior stars at his disposal.

He plays with a high defensive line and usually utilises a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation.

Out of possession, his teams press high, making his philosophy not too far away from Klopp and the style he could inherit at Liverpool.


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