New clue emerges over FSG's crucial Arne Slot decision | OneFootball

It’s been a tough season for Arne Slot.

The Liverpool head coach got off to the best possible start - winning the Premier League title at the first time of asking. But this campaign has been very different.

Richard Hughes oversaw £450m worth of spending in last summer’s transfer window - breaking the British transfer record twice.

It’s been to little avail however with the Anfield side crashing out of both domestic cups and being eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League.

Arne Slot will requalify his team for the Champions League - thanks to a Chelsea collapse - but it’s fair to say it hasn’t gone as planned.

Accordingly it’s been suggested that Fenway Sports Group might take a decision on the 47-year-old’s future come the end of the season.

With Liverpool undershooting their expectations - and Slot under contract only until 2027 - it has been mooted that a change could be made.

Arne Slot gets ready to appoint trusted deputy

Local reporters are steadfast in their belief that the Dutchman will remain in charge with FSG prioritising stability for the season ahead.

And there is another clue that the former Feyenoord tactician is set to stay. Because reporters in the Netherlands claim that Etienne Reijnen - a trusted Slot lieutenant from his days in Rotterdam - is now destined for a coaching role at Anfield.

“Etienne Reijnen may be on the verge of a move to Liverpool,” a report reads on FC Update.

“According to Vandaag Inside guest Valentijn Driessen, Arne Slot wants to bring the current Feyenoord assistant coach to England as soon as he has completed his coaching diploma.”

Etienne Reijnen: Situation summary

Etienne Reijnen is a former centre-back who moved into coaching and analysis after retiring in 2020, later joining Feyenoord in October 2023 as an assistant coach focused on analysis and technical advice.

He and Arne Slot go back further than Rotterdam: the pair were teammates at PEC Zwolle, and that trust underpins why Slot elevated him from analyst to a central voice in his backroom team.

Within Feyenoord’s staff structure, Reijnen effectively became Slot’s “eyes in the stands”, operating as chief analyst and technical advisor rather than a conventional touchline assistant due to licensing restrictions.

Their relationship is close enough that Slot made Reijnen a priority hire when he agreed to take over at Liverpool, initially planning for him to lead set-piece work and game analysis.

Slot publicly highlighted how much credit Reijnen deserves for Feyenoord’s set-piece strength and overall preparation, stressing that his former colleague remained highly valued when he stayed behind in Rotterdam.

Work-permit and qualification issues ultimately blocked the reunion in England, but the fact Slot pushed hard to bring him to Anfield underlines the depth of their professional trust and alignment on methodology.