Who is Arne Slot? The hand-picked mastermind who will take over Liverpool's helm from Jurgen Klopp

In January when Jurgen Klopp broke out the news that he would not be continuing as the manager of Liverpool following the end of the 2023-24 Premier League season, a glorious end to an era was marked, and with it the search for the new rising sun began. As the season conclusion is looming, the decision-makers at Liverpool have zeroed down on one name, Arne Slot. The agreement has been signed and it has become final that the Dutchman will take over the role from Klopp from the start of the next season. 

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Beginning to Establishing

At a time when the market is filled with famed managers who have been there and done that, Liverpool found what they were looking for in Eredivisie. Yes, that's where Slot comes from. According to his FC Zwolle teammate Bram van Polen, Slot had an eye for coaching from his playing days, and as happened after culminating his career stint as a footballer, Slot joined the Zwolle staff. He worked as a youth coach for the club for one year before joining Cambuur. 

Cambuur turned out to be the club where his coaching journey formally began. He attained recognition while being the head coach of the side, and got the job with AZ in 2019. Much like Cambuur, Slot started as an assistant coach in AZ, but got the central job later on. As the coach of AZ, Slot's men defeated Napoli in the UEFA Europa League. He called the win a "historic achievement" for the club. Under Slot,  AZ also came close to winning the Eredivisie title of the 2019-20 season. AZ finished second on goal difference behind Ajax. Later on, he was sacked as Club suspected that he had agreed terms to join Feyenoord.

With Feyenoord, Arne Slot has built a resume of his own. He has become the first Feyenoord manager to attain fifteen wins in European games. He led the club to a league win in his second season as head coach and in the prevalent season (2023-24), Feyenoord are bound to finish second in the league standings. Thus, there is no doubt about his consistency and it could certainly be drawn as a factor that landed him the Liverpool job.

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Arne Slot's managerial style

It is said that Arne Slot believes that each player on the field should never stand still, and keep moving, pressing. He is also an advocate of fitness and is firm with the stance that results could be achieved by outworking the opponents, even when the quality gets compromised. Moreover, he has taken inspiration from none other than Pep Guardiola, thus, he may bring ball control and possession-based play to the table.  

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Will Arne Slot be successful at Liverpool?

It is seen as a big gamble taken by Liverpool. However, Liverpool tends to give its managers time to settle in and build their squad. So, it would be tough to state that he would be successful from the outset but should he get accustomed and able to find longevity, it would be interesting to see how Liverpool will fare under him. But, will be he able to carry forward the empire that Jurgen Klopp has built? Only time will tell.