Liverpool look all set to hire Arne Slot as the man to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
The Reds have been searching for the right manager to follow in Klopp’s footsteps over the past three months.
And although the likes of Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi are still said to be under consideration, Slot has emerged as the clear front-runner.
The Feyenoord manager is even said to be house hunting on Merseyside as he prepares to arrive at Liverpool. It isn’t quite a done deal yet, but as the Reds ‘move quickly’ to see off interest from other clubs, Slot’s appointment now feels inevitable.
With that in mind, we’ve already looked at three things that are certain to happen once the 45-year-old joins the Reds. As well as that trio of eventualities, we think it’s possible that Slot will look to his soon-to-be former club for signings. If and when he does that, there’s one name that should stand out.
Who could Arne Slot target from Feyenoord
There are for sure a couple of areas of the Liverpool squad that could do with an upgrade this summer.
Although he’s been largely brilliant since arriving, Wataru Endo has dropped off recently and a new, younger defensive midfielder such as Alan Varela should be targeted.
A new centre-back should also be on the Reds’ wish-list, with Ibrahima Konate’s fitness issues a continued concern.
Feyenoord do actually have players who could potentially fix both of those worries. For defensive midfield, Mats Wieffer is a real prospect while centre-back David Hancko is a self-confessed Liverpool fans who’s been linked with a move to Anfield.
And while Hancko may then be the obvious go-to guy for Slot, we think there’s another player the Reds could do with more.
Why Liverpool need Santiago Gimenez
Over the past few weeks, Liverpool’s poor finishing has really come back to bite them. Darwin Nunez has been hugely wasteful in front of goal while Mohamed Salah has been driving Steve Nicol crazy.
Well, as it happens, Slot’s Feyenoord may have a fix for that too. Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez has been brilliant ever since arriving in Rotterdam two years ago. Having hit 24 goals this season, Gimenez has bettered his tally of 23 from last season.
Only 23, the Mexico international has been attracting the interest of some of Europe’s heavyweight sides. Back in October, Italian site TVPlay claimed that Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham were all trying to sign Gimenez, with Feyenoord looking for around £43m to sell.
That doesn’t sound like an unreasonable price to fix a big problem for Liverpool.
With a shot conversion rate of 20.2%, Gimenez hits the target more often than Nunez (10.7%) or Salah (18.3). In fact, the only Liverpool player to better the Feyenoord man’s league conversion rate is Diogo Jota, who has 24.4%. The Reds need to be looking Santi’s way, Slot or no Slot.
