It seems clear that it is Arne Slot who will take over from Jürgen Klopp, but what is not entirely clear is what job title he wants.
Because where Jürgen Klopp was the manager, and eventually gained more and more power the better his team did, Fenway Sports Group and Michael Edwards have now put in place a structure around the new boss that will be a little different.
After Edwards stepped down in 2022, Julian Ward sat as sporting director for a year, before Jörg Schmadtke came in as a temporary solution to help seal transfers. Now the Reds are going back to a more data-driven approach to player recruitment, and Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes is the club’s new sporting director.
Head coach and not manager?
The plan is that Hughes and Edwards will take care of the player logistics, and that a new head coach will be brought in to work with the players and improve them on the training field.
Slot will of course have a say in the team when it comes to transfers, but that will not be his main task. It sounds like he thinks it’s fine.
– I’m not interested in what you call me. You can call me Arne, head coach or manager, he said at a press conference on Friday, according to thisisanfield.com.
At the same press conference, Slot said that he did not want to talk about the Liverpool job until it was officially confirmed, but that he expected it would work out.
– I don’t care, as long as I can do what I like to do. It’s being with the players on the pitch, testing things out, working with them, and being at the matches. That’s the most special thing about it. “Especially here at De Kuip, and from what I’ve been told the atmosphere is pretty good where you come from as well,” he said, taking direct aim at the English Sky Sports reporter in the room.
Feyenoord plays a match on Sunday evening. Then PEC Zwolle is the opponent. It may seem that an official confirmation of the appointment will wait until after Liverpool and Feyenoord have finished the season. It happens on the same day, Sunday 19 May.
Tags: interested title
