Liverpool confirm appointment of Arne Slot as head coach

Liverpool have officially confirmed the appointment of Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement, subject to a work permit.

The 45-year-old will take over on 1 June after an agreement was reached with Eredivisie club Feyenoord. Slot has signed an initial three-year contract at Anfield and his first pre-season with Liverpool will kick off in July.

Feyenoord won the 2022-23 Eredivisie title under Slot’s management, while he also helped guide the club to the KNVB Cup in April. Feyenoord finished second in the 2023-24 Eredivisie campaign, seven points behind runaway winners PSV Eindhoven.

The Reds will reportedly pay a €9 million compensation fee to Feyenoord, plus a further €2m in add-ons after prising Slot away from the Dutch club. An agreement has been in place for several weeks, although Liverpool opted to wait until after Klopp’s final game to officially announce Slot’s arrival.

Slot had already announced that he would be taking over at Anfield before Feyenoord’s game against Excelsior last week. Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Lille’s Paulo Fonseca were among the contenders to replace Klopp, although Slot quickly emerged as the favoured candidate by Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.

Slot will find out his first Premier League opponent as Liverpool manager when the English top flight fixtures are released on Tuesday, 18 June.

Jurgen Klopp steps down as Liverpool head coach

Klopp bid farewell to the Anfield crowd following the Reds’ 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. The legendary Reds manager won eight trophies during his time with the club, including the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.

After receiving a standing ovation from the Anfield crowd, Klopp told supporters: “I thought I would already be in pieces by now but I’m not. But I’m so happy about you all, about the atmosphere, about the game, about being part of this family, about us, how we celebrated this day. It’s incredible. Thank you so much.”