While precisely no one at Old Trafford will be sorry to see Jurgen Klopp go – the prospect of Liverpool suffering a decline like Manchester United’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson is a tasty one indeed – the likely arrival of Arne Slot in the Anfield dugout will present a new set of challenges for the Red Devils.
And not just because Slot is one of the sharpest tactical minds in European football. The job he has done at Feyenoord – Eredivisie champions for only the second time in the 21st century under him – is somewhat similar to the one Klopp did at Dortmund, triumphing over more traditionally successful clubs on a smaller budget.
A challenge is also emerging because a manager who went head-to-head with Erik ten Hag at Ajax – and could have beaten him to the title with AZ Alkmaar until the 2019/20 season ended prematurely – is a big admirer of a man who might be being lined up to form part of Manchester United‘s midfield rebuild.
HITC had reported that Man United watched Teun Koopmeiners alongside Ederson during Atalanta’s 3-0 Europa League drubbing of Liverpool in April.
Koopmeiners is the highest scoring central midfielder in the continent’s ‘big five’ leagues outside of Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham.
Manchester United face Liverpool battle for Koopmeiners
Koopmeiners’ enticing combination of control, craft, energy and efficiency makes him one of the most complete footballers in Europe.
He has blossomed from a deep-lying playmaker in Slot’s AZ side to a box-crashing number eight in Italy.
And with Liverpool’s own midfield coming up short during a run of results which ended Klopp’s hopes of signing off with a flurry of silverware, Sport Mediaset reports that the £50 million-rated Koopmeiners is likely to be high on the list of his Anfield successor.
The towering Dutch international, by his own admission, was ‘devastated’ when Slot was fired by AZ back in 2020, the 45-year-old given the boot after it emerged that he had held talks with Feyenoord about taking over at De Kuip at the end of that campaign.
“It’s just an extremely unhappy ending,” Koopmeiners told Fox Sports. “Arne was a fantastic trainer. In recent years as head coach, but before that also as an assistant. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank him very much and wish him good luck.”
Atalanta star is a huge Arne Slot fan
Koopmeiners is certainly not afraid to speak his mind – he is Dutch after all – and had no qualms about confirming his desire to secure a move away from Atalanta in the summer.
“I told Atalanta I want to leave in the summer,” Koopmeiners told De Telegraaf recently.
“Last season, there was concrete interest from Napoli, but the two clubs didn’t reach an agreement. I hope there will be options to consider this year. My girlfriend and I are enjoying Italy, but I would endure rain for some clubs in England!
“I’d lie if I said I have no news of interest from Juventus and Premier League clubs. I’ve had an amazing time at Atalanta, and I hope they will get a big sum (while selling me).”
Now, Manchester United were never likely to have a particularly easy run at Koopmeiners. Tottenham and Chelsea have been linked too, alongside Juventus. No Champions League football presents an extra level of difficulty in negotiations.
The prospect of a reunion with a man who set Koopmeiners on his way in the Netherlands, however, could suddenly push Liverpool from contenders to favourites in the race for his signature.
Manchester United will have to act swiftly and decisively to persuade Koopmeiners to follow Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta to the Red Devils.