Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has offered some insight into how the Reds’ recruitment staff look to gain insights into potential players and coaching staff members.
When he was still working at Feyenoord, Slot was visited by Julian Ward, then the Liverpool loan manager and later its sporting director, who came to check in on how he worked. That scouting trip, as it were, gave Ward the chance to further his relationship with Slot and also get a look at what he was like behind the scenes.
“I know now for sure but Julian Ward was someone that I knew from four or five years ago because I visited Liverpool once when he did the loans,” Slot explained to Sky Sports.
“He called me, I think a month before Richard [Hughes] called me, and said, ‘I’m going around Europe and I’m interested in how certain clubs work — can I come to your place as well?’.
“He was there for one or two days and he wasn’t there just for that! He wanted to know how I work and to hear from the staff how the cooperation was and how we worked together.
“Again, an example of what they all do to find the best possible player or manager.”
(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Since arriving at Liverpool, Slot has fitted in seamlessly to the role. As well as winning the Premier League title, he has fully integrated himself into life on Merseyside and has the trust of his players.
Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have both been impressed by the work that Slot has done. Trent Alexander-Arnold is leaving but insisted that he was convinced on Slot almost from the moment that he walked through the door at Anfield.
“One hundred per cent, [staying was] a massive possibility,” Alexander-Arnold told the Reds’ official website. “It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out.
“I knew from these first few moments with the manager that he was a winner, he was aiming to go and win things. You’ve seen that this season with the way that we’ve played.
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“It was never about not having confidence in that. It just boiled down to what I felt I needed: a change. That’s something I need to do on my personal journey as a person, but also as a player and a professional, to go and challenge myself elsewhere.”
Liverpool.com says: Slot deserves to win the Premier League Manager of the Season award, for sure. To come in and replace Jurgen Klopp without much of a proper chance to transition last summer because lots of senior players returned late from international duty deserves much more respect.
Liverpool did its due diligence on Slot well in advance of hiring him. In the end, that work has certainly paid off. In the future, Slot should get more silverware under his belt at Anfield, and the Reds should get even better next season.
