It now seems pretty clear that Arne Slot is moving to Liverpool.
His final game as Feyenoord head coach will be at home against Excelsior on May 19th.
Excelsior is Latin and means higher.
And Slot is on the way to greater things.
He has a job at the top of world football and hopes to bring even more success to Anfield.
High energy, high conduction, high entertainment.
Slot is also high on the charm scale, and that’s important for Liverpool.
Of course, not as important as winning and playing style, but an important factor when choosing a slot.
Like Jürgen Klopp, he has a twinkle in his eye and is proud, and like Jürgen, Arne has perfect white teeth – and a wide, friendly smile that shows them off to their best advantage.
He loves a camera and finds it very easy to deal with intense media scrutiny.
His press conference on Thursday evening at the Go Ahead Eagles underlined this, as did our brief interaction on the steps of the Feyenoord team hotel a few hours earlier.
After the match, the slot was open. Very open.
In front of a room full of Dutch media – foreign media were barred from attending by the host club – he was not asked at all about the 3-1 away win that had just guaranteed Feyenoord Champions League football again next season.
All the questions were about Liverpool and he answered every single one.
No platitudes, no “no comment,” no evasion.
Just almost full disclosure.
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Feyenoord coach Arne Slot says he is confident the club will reach an agreement that will allow him to join Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp’s successor
Yes: he wants Liverpool.
Yes: Liverpool want him.
Yes: Negotiations are complicated… but
Yes: he was sure a deal could be struck.
A perfect performance, and eleven months ago he mastered the Tottenham pitches with similar panache.
As mentioned, the ability to engage the media was already evident at the team hotel earlier in the day.
He jumped out of the team bus with a big smile on his face, fully aware that me and Sky cameraman “Spiney” were waiting to jump off.
Not that he stormed straight to the hotel front door.
Instead, he got his (perfectly ironed) matchstick nightgown and suitcase from the luggage compartment and played with us.
When questioned he agreed that he was “in the news” and “wanted to go to the Premier League”.
And if an overzealous hotel manager hadn’t gotten in his way, he would have said more.
This “front door,” as we call it, went around the world.
His behavior and kindness were commented on by many.
But there is another part to this encounter. And here it is.
As the team bus left the training ground and began the 90-mile journey to the hotel, we were about to make the same journey.
We also knew which hotel they were heading to.
But the driver thought we were following the bus – and the head coach – and jokingly circled a traffic island three times to act as if he was trying to shake us off!
Football banter at its best.
The Feyenoord team bus tried to get away from Sky Sports News’ Gary Cotterill!
Slot and the players loved it…I even suspect Slot suggested the driver did it!
Speaking of football travel, two members of Slot’s Feyenoord team have unexpected ways to get to training every day.
This is unexpected for top professional players.
Yankuba Minteh, on loan from Newcastle, cycles in and poses with fans who want photos along the way.
His young striker colleague Leo Sauer is leaving!
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Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp appeared to support his potential successor Arne Slot, describing him as a “good coach and a good guy”.
Of course, Feyenoord is a very big step after Liverpool.
But those who know Slot on and off the field say he is up to the challenge.
Of course he will be up against bigger, better players at Anfield, but even the rich and famous respond to kindness and humor.
From what I’ve seen, Slot has this in abundance.
Undoubtedly, it’s easier to be nice when you’re winning, and that’s the least expected of Slot in Liverpool from the start.
It’s about a lot.
Expectations are higher.
wood wool.
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Melissa Reddy shares the latest on Feyenoord’s proposed move for Arne Slot to Liverpool to replace Jurgen Klopp
Essential Questions Podcast: Is Slot the man for Liverpool?
Ron Walker joins us Sky Sports News’ senior reporter, Melissa Reddy and Sky Sports Football journalist Adam Bate talks about Slot’s possible move to Liverpool as Klopp’s successor.
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