Ex-England player identifies ‘very rare opportunity’ from which Slot could benefit at Liverpool
Arne Slot could have a ‘very rare opportunity’ to come into a club operating from a strong starting position if he’s given the Liverpool job.
The 45-year-old looks set to be appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor after a compensation package was reportedly agreed with Feyenoord, which suggests that an appointment could be imminent once the final contractual details are sorted out.
Speaking on Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Paul Robinson believes that the Dutchman would be taking over at the perfect time, coming to Anfield with the club already in fine fettle rather than being tasked with trying to resuscitate a sleeping giant.
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The former England goalkeeper said: “Liverpool have coming knocking this time… with the history and size of the club and the opportunity to pick up a club that are in a decent shape.
“They aren’t exactly where they’d want to be at the moment. They have obviously fallen out of a couple of competitions, looks like they’ve dropped away in the league too following the Everton loss. But as a manager, you very rarely pick up a club that are in a good shape.
“This is Jurgen Klopp leaving at the right time for him; it’s not him getting sacked or his club on a 10-game losing streak. As a manager, it’s a very rare opportunity to pick up a club that are doing well.”
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Much of the narrative around Klopp leaving Liverpool has focused on how difficult it’ll be for his successor to live up to the legacy left by one of the Reds’ greatest-ever managers.
However, Robinson has flipped the equation by looking at it from the alternative angle that Slot could actually be coming in at a very good time, given that he’ll be taking over a club which is in rude health despite the April slump which has effectively cost us a crack at the Premier League title.
Generally when a new manager is appointed, either during the summer or mid-season, it’s because the hiearchy believe that a change of direction is needed to halt a period of decline.
Liverpool might be ending Klopp’s final campaign on a whimper, but the German will still be leaving a hugely solid platform in place for his successor to build upon – a far cry from when he had to pick up the pieces of Brendan Rodgers’ shattered reign in 2015.
Following in the footsteps of a club legend can be a daunting ask, as Graeme Souness discovered to his cost at Anfield in the first half of the 1990s, but Slot would’ve been very much aware of that before the Reds ever came calling for him.
For him to openly state that he wants the job, even while still working at Feyenoord, is a strong indicator that he’s relishing the challenge rather than being overawed by it.
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