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But none of them seemed especially likely.

Now, on Tuesday afternoon, new filtered through that a name who was not on that list at all – Feyenoord’s Arne Slot – is now the ‘leading contender.’

Photo by ANP via Getty Images

This news will have come as quite a surprise to Liverpool fans.



Slot has been mentioned sporadically throughout the search so far, but never as a prominent candidate.

Nevertheless, it had frequently been claimed that the Reds were prepared to be ‘bold’ rather than popular with their choice.

So, it shouldn’t be a huge shock that a left-field name has been plucked.

And, to be honest, when you look at the reasons The Athletic put forward for Slot to be considered, we can’t say it doesn’t make sense.

They claim that the 45-year-old has actually filled ‘many of the relevant’ criteria that Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes were looking for.

One of these is said to be Slot’s style of football.

Described as being an ‘aggressive, dominant style of play,’ the Dutchman is said to be a good fit for Liverpool’s current first-team squad.

He also reportedly has a good track record in youth development and can demonstrate ‘title-winning success’ while sticking to these principles.

Lastly – and perhaps this will feed the critics slightly – Slot is claimed to have shown that he can achieve success without ‘frivolous spending.’ This one is said to be ‘attractive’ to FSG in particular.

All of this sounds good, but you can’t get away from the fact that many Liverpool fans will be left asking ‘Who is Arne Slot?’ tonight.

A move to AZ Alkmaar then beckoned where Slot again worked behind the scenes before taking on the top job in 2019.

His first stint as a head coach was promising and Slot may well have led AZ to the title in 2020 were the season not prematurely ended by the Coronavirus pandemic.