ARNE SLOT SENT LIVERPOOL MESSAGE BY MANAGERIAL RIVAL REDS DON'T WANT

Liverpool appears to be closing in on the appointment of Feyenoord boss Arne Slot to replace Jürgen Klopp at the end of the season. It's believed that negotiations with both the club and the manager are ongoing.

Slot himself is said to be very keen to take the job, according to Sky Sports, so it's expected the process could move quickly once Liverpool finalizes a deal with Feyenoord. The approach so far has shown the utmost respect, coming as it did after the weekend's victorious KNVB Cup final.

That's essentially it in terms of Feyenoord's season, with PSV able to mathematically claim the title as early as tomorrow. Slot's side has a 12-point margin to third with four games to play, so is more or less guaranteed to end the season as runner-up.

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That does beg one question: why aren't the Reds after the man finishing first? PSV has enjoyed a near-faultless campaign akin to that of Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, winning 26 of 30 league games and losing just once.

Such a question was put to PSV manager Peter Bosz in light of the links between Liverpool and Slot. But the 60-year-old laughed it off (via Dutch outlet FC Update).

"That didn’t happen [a Liverpool approach], did it? I’m having a great time here, so just let me sit here!"

Bosz, who has had stints with Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon, also had a message for his rival Slot. He talked up the "fantastic" opportunity:

"It would be fantastic for Arne. Liverpool is of course a big club, if it all works out and it would, then that would be great for him. He is more than welcome.”

Despite the plethora of names linked, Bosz has never emerged as a candidate for Liverpool during the hunt for Klopp's heir. Slot himself has come somewhat out of left-field, but looks to be moving ever closer to the role.

Liverpool.com says: PSV is having a wonderful season, and will be confirmed as champion ahead of Feyenoord soon. But Liverpool will have looked at a wide variety of factors.

There are obvious concerns about Bosz's record elsewhere, with a succession of big clubs outside of the Netherlands ultimately dispensing of his services. Perhaps more importantly, Slot's second place this season is a significant overperformance compared to financial resources, something FSG is bound to value highly.

It's also only fair to note that Slot did lead Feyenoord to a league title last season, upsetting the relative stranglehold possessed by Ajax and PSV over the last two decades. He's also got a reasonable record in Europe, having led the team to the inaugural Europa Conference League final.

2024-04-24T16:58:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd