Liverpool legend tells Arne Slot first thing he must do after replacing Jürgen Klopp

It is now over three months since Jürgen Klopp announced he would be stepping down as Liverpool manager. The search for his successor has seen a host of managers linked but it appears Arne Slot will be in the Anfield dugout next season.

Liverpool has reached an agreement with Feyenoord for the Dutchman, reports BBC Sport, with contract talks now set to get underway. It has been a difficult week for Liverpool after the Merseyside derby defeat and the draw with West Ham ended its faint title hopes.

But there was some good news on Sunday, despite title rivals Arsenal pulling further clear. The Gunners' win over Tottenham in the north London derby all but confirms Liverpool's place in next season's Champions League.

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Qualification for Europe's premier competition was paramount after last season's failure and Slot will be testing himself against the very best next term. His Feyenoord side was knocked out in the Champions League group stage earlier this season.

Slot will face some big decisions in the coming months, alongside incoming sporting director Richard Hughes, with decisions needed on the futures of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Salah's spat with Klopp at West Ham sparked fresh speculation over whether he could move on this summer. The Mirror also reports skipper Van Dijk could reach a crossroads at Anfield with Klopp departing.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler believes Klopp's exit has impacted his players and believes his replacement will have to quickly get the players on side this summer. “He’s done OK at Feyenoord the last couple of seasons, but only time will tell if he can take Liverpool to greater heights than Klopp managed," he writes in his Mirror column.

"That will be a tall order, but the more pressing problem for Liverpool is getting some stability back into players feeling the effects of Jürgen's imminent departure. They’ve had nearly nine years of Klopp at ­Liverpool and suddenly everything is about to change.”

Fowler admits Slot's potential appointment caught him completely off-guard, with Liverpool having been heavily linked with Sporting CP boss Rúben Amorim in recent weeks. He added: "I’ll be honest, I hadn’t a clue Slot was even in the conversation among the power brokers who run Liverpool.

“He wasn’t someone who jumped out at me as a candidate. In fact, I knew nothing about Slot at all or the way he plays and, ­probably like many people, I dived into Google to check him out."

Liverpool.com says: It is going to be a huge summer for Liverpool and Slot, if his appointment is finalized as expected. Some big decisions will need to be made but Fowler is right, he needs to re-energize the squad from the off. Many have only ever played under Klopp and will certainly be impacted by his exit.