And just like that, it was all over. After three months of rumours and speculation, Liverpool have decided to appoint Arne Slot as their new manager.
In the end, things moved extraordinarily quickly after it emerged that Slot was the new front-runner earlier this week.
From there, the likes of Ruben Amorim never had a look in. The Feyenoord coach was clearly the man FSG thought best to replace Jurgen Klopp.
There is still no official announcement just yet, but that is now a formality. With a couple of members of Slot’s coaching staff also on the way to Liverpool, the Reds will likely follow the Dutch club’s lead in terms of when they’ll go public.
In the meantime, reaction will continue to pour in from the footballing world. And for the first time, we’ve now heard inkling of how the Liverpool first-team squad have reacted to the big news.
Liverpool squad offer Arne Slot reaction
The Liverpool players now find themselves in a slightly odd situation. With Klopp still in situ for four more games, they’ll want to put full focus on finishing off his reign in the best possible way.
But at the same time, it’s only natural for them to look to what comes next. More than one player’s immediate future is in the balance and the new manager will have an impact on how that pans out.
Some may have expected a slightly bigger name to come after Jurgen, and might be disappointed with Slot.
Virgil van Dijk at least knows Sipke Hulshoff, Feyenoord’s assistant manager who is set to follow his boss to Anfield.
According to journalist Lewis Steele on X though, the Reds squad are ‘delighted’ by the impending arrival of Slot.
“Couple of sources close to dressing room say Liverpool squad are delighted with Arne Slot’s impending appointment,” Steele says. “But fully focused on rest of season for now and ending Jurgen Klopp era on a high. Sure Virgil van Dijk will speak more on it tomorrow [Saturday].”
Who could benefit from Arne Slot appointment
Like any new managerial appointment, there will be winners and losers in the Liverpool squad. We’ve already taken a look at three players who may see their fortunes improve under Slot.
One of them will surely be Ryan Gravenberch. Like Van Dijk, Gravenberch knows Hulshoff from his time in the Netherlands national team.
Hopefully having a coaching team fully from his homeland will help get ideas across to the 21-year-old.
The same goes for Cody Gakpo, who has shown some much needed signs of life over the past few weeks. Having become a father in midweek, Gakpo now looks ready for the next stage of his career. Slot can help him to reach his full potential.
Beyond that, others will no doubt feel the benefit of Slot, too. For some though, the warm blanket of Klopp’s fatherly management may be about to come to an abrupt end.
