Arne Slot has had to do a bit of cultural adaption since making the move to Liverpool last summer, but the results of his efforts speak for themselves.
The Dutchman has led the Reds to the Premier League title in his very first season in English football after making the move from Feyenoord last season.
One former teammate of Slot’s believes the homework the Liverpool boss put in before taking the job was crucial to making that transition.
Arne Slot ‘won everyone over in no time’ at Liverpool
ESPN NL spoke to a number of Slot’s former colleagues about how he has been able to hit the ground running at Anfield, with former Zwolle teammate Bram van Polen feeling that nailing the handover from Jurgen Klopp was a massive factor.
“He spoke to Klopp many times [before taking the job] and approached everyone in advance. Arne was very well prepared and won everyone over in no time,” van Polen said.
Mohamed Salah backed that up in an interview with Sky Sports immediately following Liverpool’s title-clinching victory over Tottenham, saying: “[Slot] is very honest, he’s quite tough – Dutch.
“But that’s his personality and he made our lives easier because he [tells you] what he wants you do to.
“[Before the season began] I told him, ‘look, as long as you rest me defensively then I will provide offensively and then I will show you numbers’.
“I’m glad that I did. It was the manager’s idea but he listens a lot. I spoke to him and he got his idea and you can see the numbers.”
🔝🔴 Bram van Polen over zijn oud-teamgenoot Arne Slot, die volgens hem in Liverpool als ‘big boss’ gezien wordt.”Hij vraagt altijd meteen naar Feyenoord.”April 29, 2025
Van Polen went on to explain that Slot is in a very different position even to his Eredivisie-winning Feyenoord side, saying: “I was with Arne’s brother Jakko at the Champions League match against PSG and Arne dropped by.
“At first you chat with him normally, but as soon as he leaves the room, it’s like everyone bows down to him. He doesn’t change, but the world around him does.”
Van Polen went on to clarify: “The weird thing there is just how they look at him now. In England there’s such a hierarchy in place, and he’s really the big boss there.
“You don’t see that at all in the Netherlands – never mind that Liverpool are also perhaps one of the biggest clubs in the world at the moment.”
Van Polen is particularly pleased to see his countryman represent the Netherlands to such distinction on a bigger stage.
He said: “Of course you hope that he will do well. Not only for the person Arne Slot, but also for the Dutch coaches. We don’t have a good reputation in terms of coaches.”
“But for him to win over a team like that so quickly is really fantastic. It is absolutely unreal to see him do it.”
