Arne Slot: Who is the Dutch manager who has taken Liverpool to the top of the league?

In July 2024 Arne Slot took over as Liverpool's manager after the surprise departure of Jurgen Klopp.

Now, his club has been crowned Premier League champions - an accolade few managers have earned in their first season.

Slot arrived at Liverpool after three highly successful campaigns with the Dutch side Feyenoord, and was named manager of the year on two occasions.

He had a hard act to follow from Klopp who was loved by fans - he won the League Cup twice, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League.

So who is Arne Slot?

Arne Slot's career as a player

Arne Slot, born Arend Martijn Slot, is a Dutch native who began his professional footballing career in the Netherlands in 1995, playing for FC Zwolle.

At just 17-years-old, Slot made it into the first team at Zwolle where he later became a goal-scoring attacking midfielder.

He then moved to NAC Breda in 2002, playing against Newcastle United in the first round of the 2003 UEFA Cup where the club lost 5-0 and 0-1 to the Magpies.

Who has he coached?

Slot retired from playing at PEC Zwoolle in 2013 and became a member of staff at the club working as a youth coach for a year, before being appointed as an assistant coach at Cambuur, helping the team climb from 14th to 3rd place in the league.

In 2017, the 45-year-old joined AZ Alkmaar, where he worked as an assistant coach.

Slot then took over from Vaan den Brom as AZ's head coach for the 2019-2020 season and became one of the club's most successful managers.

AZ came third and fourth in the Eredivisie, the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands, in 2018 and 2019 and lost the 2018 KNVB Cup final to Feyenoord.

In Slot's first season in charge at AZ, the club managed to reach the UEFA Europa League.

In 2020, Slot was sacked as head coach of AZ for not being focused on the team after negotiating a deal with Feyenoord.

Slot signed a two-year deal with Feyenoord as the club's new coach for the 2021-2022 season.

What are his successes?

While Slot's arrival in the Premier League has certainly made a splash, he's no stranger to success.

He was the first coach to win 19 points in his first eight Eredivisie games at AZ, and helped Feyenoord reach round 16 of the Europa League for the first time in 20 years.

He led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title, and last season they won the Dutch Cup under his leadership.

How has Slot's first season at Liverpool gone?

Liverpool were third favourites to win the division at the start of the season, behind last season's top two of Manchester City and Arsenal at odds-on.

But following a staggering run of 26 unbeaten games and only two defeats all season, the Reds are now just a point away from being crowned Premier League champions.

A draw against Tottenham on Sunday 27 April would be enough to see Liverpool lift the trophy.

What did Klopp say?

Klopp wanted to sign off with a second Premier League title, but finished the season in third place.

Speaking at a presentation on the pitch after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, Klopp addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on the future.

“You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team. Change is good,” said Klopp, who sang the name of Slot to the tune of one of the songs the crowd sing about him.

“It’s a great job, great team, fantastic people. He would take a really, really interesting job.”

Klopp finished his speech by promising Arne Slot was set for the "best job in the word".

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