Virgil van Dijk and Jürgen Klopp in agreement on Arne Slot becoming Liverpool manager

Jürgen Klopp the head coach / manager of Liverpool consoles a dejected Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool at full time during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at Emirates Stadium on February 4, 2024 in London, England.
Liverpool manager and captain Jürgen Klopp and Virgil van Dijk have both had their say on Arne Slot. -Credit:Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images


Liverpool successfully kept Arne Slot's name under wraps for quite some time. It wasn't so much that he was considered an outsider, but rather hardly considered at all, as the public speculated who might replace Jürgen Klopp in the hotseat.

But once the name was out there, things accelerated at a rate of knots. In almost no time at all, Slot himself was confirming the veracity of the links, declaring that he was keen to join Liverpool and confident an agreement would be reached.

In turn, members of the existing Liverpool setup have been asked to comment on Slot. Speaking ahead of tomorrow's game with West Ham, outgoing manager Klopp gave his backing to his likely successor.

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"I'm not involved in the process, just to clarify that," said Klopp. "What I like a lot about it, if he is the one, is that he really wants to take the job. He is desperate. So 'come on, let’s go for it’. Excited.

"I like the way his team plays football, definitely. All the things I hear about him — some people I know know him, I don’t know him yet — but some people tell me that he’s a really good guy, and I like that a lot.

"So, good coach, good guy, looking forward for the club. If he’s the solution, or the man, then I’m more than happy. It’s not up to me to judge these things but it all sounds really good to me."

Liverpool captain and Slot's compatriot Virgil van Dijk has echoed Klopp's sentiment. While cautious not to treat anything as final, he told Viaplay after the defeat against Everton that he rates the Feyenoord boss highly.

"I think Slot is one of the better Dutch coaches at the moment," declared Van Dijk. "With the way he plays and the philosophy he has, he can be a Liverpool coach.

"But I read and hear that it is far from complete. We shall see. We will focus on that next season, but that is still a long way off."

One of Slot's first tasks will be to consult with Michael Edwards and incoming sporting director Richard Hughes about a potential new contract for Van Dijk. The captain is 32, and will be entering the final year of his current deal.

Liverpool.com says: It's important that Slot isn't arriving as Klopp's anointed candidate. This is not a David Moyes situation. Nevertheless, his backing will be welcome.

The support of Van Dijk is even more important, given that he will be staying at Anfield beyond the summer. He will be the captain in Slot's first season unless the manager makes a controversial change.

While it's not a total given the club will offer a renewal, Van Dijk's apparent approval of Slot also bodes well in terms of his willingness to pen new terms if they are forthcoming. The Liverpool defender had previously implied he would need to see the club's direction of travel before committing, although he quickly rowed back on those remarks.