Arne Slot reveals bold ambition to match Jurgen Klopp in one key area | OneFootball

Arne Slot has already proved to be Jurgen Klopp’s successor in more ways than one. As Liverpool manager and as the only ones since 1990 to win the title. He may in another, too. Slot will welcome his predecessor back to Anfield this weekend to witness the Dutchman's Liverpool lift the trophy. Slot may yet emulate Klopp in a very different respect.

Klopp lasted eight-and-a-half years at Anfield. Slot is completing the first of an initial three-season deal but at a club where winning the title or the Champions League confers a status that can bring longevity. He has begun to imagine a similarly lengthy reign.

“I could see it, yes,” he said. “I could see myself working here for a long time because it's a great club to work for and I'm really happy over here. This club has a history of having managers for a long time and we also saw that [in England] with Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson. But I think in general in football and in life there is not so much patience. There are not many managers that stay at a club for nine years because nine out of ten times the board or someone at the club isn't happy at a certain moment anymore.”

Slot was tapping a book about Liverpool’s history as he spoke. He is learning about those who came before him; studying above him, too. His employers are another reason why he thinks he could still be Liverpool manager into the 2030s.

“Not only this club, but also with regards ownership, because I'm now watching a documentary about the Boston Red Sox,” he said of the baseball franchise that was Fenway Sports Group’s first sporting success. He noted that Red Sox manager Alex Cora, a World Series winner in his debut campaign, twice finished last in the American League East and was not sacked.

“He is still there,” Slot said, returning to the topic of Liverpool. “It is a combination of the history of the club and how the ownership works. So if there is ever a club where you can work for multiple years, it will probably be Liverpool.”

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Arne Slot has contemplated leading Liverpool into the 2030s (PA)

Slot is doing his due diligence, just as Liverpool did theirs when appointing him. He had been scarred by managerial beauty parades at other clubs, when he was among a host of candidates considered by Tottenham in 2023 and when he chose to stay in his native Netherlands.

“I'm only interested if they want me as the only one. I told my agent that if I am one of three I am not interested. I didn't want to go into another summer where I had to do all these kinds of meetings and then waiting, waiting, waiting,” he said. “My time at Feyenoord was too good.”

Then along came Liverpool, with sporting director Richard Hughes showing his research. “I didn't have to open my laptop one time to show them what I did or how I worked,” Slot recalled. “They knew everything about me. There was never one second of a doubt and that had largely to do with the fact why they wanted me and how they tried to convince me to come.”

Hughes was well-briefed. “He knew many, many, many games and many of the assessments I've made during games [like] the changes I made in tactics. Julian [Ward, the former sporting director], visited the [Feyenoord] training ground, so he spoke with a lot of people trying to get some knowledge from the club and how I worked over there. He spoke with multiple people, so there was not a stone unturned.”

That rigorousness offers Slot encouragement for the transfer window. “This is also the way we try to bring players in,” he said. “It is a thorough process.”

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Slot is confident Liverpool will bring in the right players over the summer (Getty)

It could be a big window for Liverpool. If it is hard to improve on a side who won the title with four games to go and topped the Champions League group, he has an idea how. “I do know we can make different things better with this team already,” he said, “We could add one or two qualities; pace is one of those that could make us even stronger.”

A realist accepts that his squad may be frayed by more than the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold. He is concerned that squad players may not be willing to accept a bit-part status for another year. “Everybody accepted his role,” he said. “And I don’t know if all of them will accept the same role again for next season. But that is a vital part for me.”

That quest for improvement extends beyond personnel. If the Premier League was Slot’s main target in his debut year, the Champions League will assume a greater importance in his thinking. “We were so close this season,” he reflected. “This sounds weird because we were out in the round of 16 but we won the league table and we went to extra time with Paris Saint-Germain, the only team that did that. So it is not a stupid idea to think we can compete for the trophy.”