Who is Arne Slot? Liverpool's Next Manager

The Klopp Liverpool farewell tour is almost over following the announcement on the 26th of January that he is set to leave after 9 years at the club.

The man set to replace him? According to the latest reporting it will be current Feyenoord Head Coach Arne Slot who was previously linked with the Tottenham job last season. However, he decided to stay at the club for another season, extending his contract for another year until 2026.

It now looks likely that Slot is finally set to get the big move that his performance in the job with Feyenoord desires after it emerged on Sky Sports that negotiations with Feyenoord had begun about the possibility of hiring the Dutchman.

But who is Arne Slot? Let’s take a look.

Who is Arne Slot?

Age: 45

Nationality: Dutch

Clubs (Player): FC Zwolle (95-02), NAC Breda (02-07), Sparta Rotterdam (07-10), FC Zwolle (09-10) and PEC Zwolle (10-13)

Clubs Coached: PEC (Youth 13-14), SC Cambuur (Assistant 14-17), AZ Alkmaar (Assistant 17-19)

Clubs Managed: SC Cambuur (Caretaker 16-17), AZ Alkmaar (19-20) Feyenoord (21-Present)

Trophies as a Player: Eerste Divisie: 01/02 and 11/12

Trophies as a Manager: KNVB Cup: 23/24, Eredivisie: 22/23 and Conference League runner-up: 21/22

Total Games as a Manager: 238, Feyenoord (146), AZ Alkmaar (58) and Cambuur (34)

Total Record: 238 Games, 147 Wins, 51 Draws, 40 Losses, win rate 61.76% (522 Goals Scored and 230 Conceded).

Playing Career

Slot had an eighteen-year professional career playing exclusively in the Netherlands from 1995-2013 playing for FC Zwolle, NAC Breda and Sparta Rotterdam making 462 club appearances and scoring 100 goals. However, Arne would never make an appearance at International level for the Netherlands.

Coaching career

Slot began his coaching career in 2013, working as a youth coach at PEC Zwolle for a year, before being appointed as an assistant coach at Cambuur, a position he held until 2017.

Slot was appointed as an assistant coach at AZ before getting the head coach job back in 2019. Unfortunately, his first season was scuppered by Covid with his side finishing second on goal difference. He was controversially sacked on December 5, 2020, for “not being focused on the team”. This theory came after it emerged Arne was already negotiating a deal to move to Feyenoord. He left AZ having guided the club to a record of 2.11 points per game and had recently signed a deal making him the highest-paid coach in AZ history.

It's no surprise he wasn’t out of work for long and on 15 December 2020 Feyenoord finally announced that the club had reached a deal for him to become coach from the start of the 21/22 season.

Slot succeeded the experienced Dick Advocaat, who led the team to fifth place in the Eredivisie and qualification to the UEFA Conference League Qualifiers. One of the main remits of Slot’s job was to build a new team with a recognisable playing style.

In his first season at the club, they finished third in the Eredivisie behind Ajax and PSV, in Europe, they also made the Conference League final which was the club’s first European final since 2002. These exploits were enough to earn him Manager of the Year. In his second season as coach, Feyenoord won the league, the club's first league title since 2017 and sixteenth in the club's history.

Arne’s third season at the club has been a mixed bag of success. Despite Champions League qualification, it proved too hard a bridge to grasp with Feyenoord finishing 3rd in the group with Atlético Madrid, Lazio and Celtic, before getting knocked out by Roma for a third consecutive season, losing on penalties in the UEFA Europa League knock-out round play-offs.

On 21 April 2024, Feyenoord beat NEC in the final to win its fourteenth KNVB Cup. However, their Eredivisie title defence seems to be unlikely with them trailing PSV by 9 points with 4 games remaining.

Arne Slot Coaching Philosophy & Tactics

Arne has been described as a manager who brings attacking entertaining football to his sides, which certainly would suit the FSG vision when replacing Klopp in the dugout for the coming seasons. While Klopp has often had to fine-tune a squad out of relatively tight FSG pockets.

Arne, like Klopp, is a cutting-edge operator who understands football psychology implicitly and explicitly. Although FSG will be mindful that the incoming Head Coach likes to have plenty of control over the club he is in charge of, something they may not be too enamoured by…

Mourinho and Guardiola similarities?

One man who was pictured at Anfield recently was Jose Mourinho which prompted rumours that he could be a shock contender for the upcoming role at Liverpool. However, while there seems to be nothing in that deal Arne similarly likes to create a “siege mentality” in his squad, something which may be needed to motivate the squad post-Klopp.

The Dutchman’s style of football is more akin to Klopp and Guardiola thus befitting of the FSG vision and something the Liverpool supporters will be accustomed to. His teams are characterised by a relentless energy and high-octane pressing of these two managers while maintaining the solidity of a Mourinho side at its best. The perfect blend?..

Formation

Slot fluctuates from a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 system, but it is a fluid system which can change back and forth between games and during games. Slot’s system relies on possession both keeping it but also regaining it back as quickly as possible not unlike a Guardiola side. He will likely play with two holding midfielders with the wide-players tasked with getting crosses into a lone striker.

Dutch Football is known for its attacking intent, and this is something he has done inspired by Guardiola but he doesn’t forget a solid defence who plays a high defensive line, comfortable protecting the lead, defending set pieces and are strong aerially. This season his Feyenoord side has the 2nd best attack (77) behind PSV (95) and 2nd best defence (23) again only bettered by PSV (17).

Some of his quotes are interesting, “I don’t want to compare myself with Pep at all, but he’s a control freak just like me….Guardiola gives me the ultimate pleasure in football”. He stated that those teams have similar values 4-3-3, building from the back and putting pressure on the opponent.

Transfer Market Philosophy

One interesting thing about Slot is how he works in the transfer market. He likes to have a great deal of influence on business but is also comfortable bringing players through the Feyenoord academy which he has achieved throughout his 3-year tenure at the club.

In his opening transfer window with the club, they spent roughly 9.5 million and brought in 6.7 million in transfer fees which prompted him to bring the club from 5th the previous year to 3rd.

Following the club's growth during the first season, the squad was completely gutted with 69.3 million brought in transfer fees with headliners Sinisterra signing for Leeds for 25 million, Malacia going to Man United for 18 million and Senesi going to Bournemouth for 15 million. However, 37 million in acquisitions and youth promotion was enough to bring the club to the Eredivisie title. A remarkable achievement with such a positive net spent something that will again fit the FSG vision.

While this year is unlikely to end in league success, they still won the cup following another positive net spend, spending 35.55 million and bringing in 40.95 million. It’ll be interesting to see how much FSG leans into Arne’s transfer preferences and whether he will be allowed to bring his own players in or whether he will have to take the FSG transfer picks, an area of complication to keep an eye out for in the summer especially with Liverpool arguably needing a squad overhaul.

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