What will Arne Slot find at Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp departs?

With the star-studded ensemble at Liverpool, the Reds have managed to win all kinds of trophies since 2019. Two League Cups, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, as well as the first Premier League title and the sixth Champions League. Former Dortmund coach Klopp has resuscitated the club and brought it back to the level its supporters craved and yearned for, but in doing so, in turn, leaves a hefty legacy for dyed-in-the-wool successor Arne Slot.

Exactly what Slot will have to face, I sought out with Flashscore UK editor and Liverpool expert Ste Carson.

'Slot is a better fit for Liverpool'

News of Slot's imminent move broke at the end of April and followed fairly quickly after a saga surrounding Sporting coach Ruben Amorim, who was seen as the favourite for the Liverpool job. The club's choice seemed to have fallen on Slot after all, but how was this news experienced in England? How positive were the optimists and what did the sceptics worry about?

"The reactions were generally positive. It would be remiss of me to ignore the excitement surrounding the possible recruitment of Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim, but most fans recognise that Slot is a capable man. Alonso in particular captured the hearts of Liverpool fans, but when it became clear that he would stay with Bayer Leverkusen this summer, it was inevitable that it would be Amorim."

"Not everyone agrees, but I think Slot fits Liverpool better. Besides, Amorim and his business manager may have shown their true colours by pitting Liverpool and West Ham against each other in a bizarre bidding war."

Ste also calls the choice of Slot smarter than hiring Zinedine Zidane or someone like Jose Mourinho.

"Liverpool fans are generally enthusiastic about what they have seen and heard about the style of play he has implemented at Feyenoord, which is remarkably similar to Klopp's 'heavy metal football'. Given the current state of the market, it seems that bringing in Slot could be an incredibly smart move by Liverpool."

"An ambitious move for someone like Zinedine Zidane is tainted by the likelihood that he will probably only stay for one or two years and giving someone like Jose Mourinho a chance in 2024 would, for lack of a better term, be depressing."

'Difficult to compete with monstrous Manchester City'

Klopp joined Liverpool in 2015 and has since transformed the team into one of the powerhouses in both English and European football. Yet the number of league titles in the Klopp era remained stuck at one (2020). This year too, captain Virgil van Dijk's team missed out on the title after a long battle with Arsenal and Manchester City - how does this affect the pressure that will be on Arne Slot's shoulders?

"That depends on who you ask! Personally, I don't think what happened this season will have a big impact on the future under a new manager," Ste said. "Many Liverpool fans were still hoping for a top-four spot 12 months ago, the fact that Klopp has still managed to squeeze a Premier League title race out of his squad is impressive."

"It's another example of Liverpool overachieving, especially when you look at the lacklustre 2022/23 season, in which they finished fifth and prize-less."

"The team is in the midst of a period of transition with so many ageing superstars having recently ended their careers at Anfield, such as Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Georginio Wijnaldum, which makes it even harder to compete with the monstrous Manchester City because they can act more ruthlessly in the transfer market, but it is still an exciting time for the club. And while it is not the biggest honour in English football, winning the League Cup is not nothing!"

'Will be one of his biggest tasks in his Liverpool tenure'

As Ste pointed out, Liverpool are in a period of transition. The core that won the Champions League in 2019 is ageing. For example, Mohamed Salah will be 32 when the new season starts, Van Dijk will turn 33 during the European Championship and Alisson, Andy Robertson and Joel Matip are also on the wrong side of 30. Besides age, recent acquisitions are also being kept under a magnifying glass, such as Darwin Nunez: the Uruguayan is facing a lot of criticism and seems dissatisfied with Liverpool.

"It is reasonable to assume that both Salah and Nunez will still be at the club next season," Ste said. "Although Salah is almost certainly thinking about what to do at the end of his current contract, which runs until next summer, when he will be 33. Replacing the Egyptian will be one of Slot's biggest tasks in his Liverpool tenure, but he has some time to figure that out."

"That said, Salah's 'replacement' is unlikely to be the same and could already be in the squad. As for Nunez, I think he needs to convince both Slot and Michael Edwards (director of football affairs at Liverpool) that he deserves to stay."

The Uruguayan recently raised eyebrows by deleting any reference to Liverpool from his Instagram account. He did so amid a storm of rumours about the striker leaving Liverpool, who acquired him from Benfica for £85 million in 2022.

"The fans love him and even if he wastes a frustrating amount of chances, he will continue to be able to count on their support," he said. "By the way, Darwin's numbers are actually quite impressive; he has scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists so far this season - not quite the disaster some expect him to be. It is his conversion rate that is letting him down."

'Geertruida's name has surfaced'

Rejuvenating such an eleven is a challenging process, but one that has already begun under Klopp. For example, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai were recently bought and young talents such as Connor Bradley, Harvey Elliott and base player Jarell Quansah are already asserting themselves in the Liverpool red team.

Replacing the ageing Van Dijk, dubbed by Ste as "perhaps the best Premier League defender ever", is a huge task for Slot and the club management in the long run. "Liverpool may already have a direct replacement in Ibrahima Konate... but then how do you fill the gap? Maybe 21-year-old Quansah, who has impressed a lot this season, is the answer, but it's too early to say anything that big."

"The aforementioned young, versatile defender could help fill some gaps - Lutsharel Geertruida's name has surfaced recently - but Virgil can play for many more years. Just look at Thiago Silva and Pepe!"

Faithful left-back Robertson, too, is now past 30 and, with former Willem II player Kostas Tsimikas, faces a formidable competitor on the left. But he too does not appear to be a long-term replacement for the Reds.

"I'm not sure we can see Tsimikas as a long-term solution, as he has just turned 28 himself," he said. "Rayan Ait-Nouri is a player who does appeal to me, but it depends on what Slot wants from his full-backs."

Slot's biggest challenges

The move from Feyenoord to a world-class club like Liverpool is not an easy one and one that will be filled with many challenges. With fans having been spoilt by a reasonable rain of prizes in recent years and seeing the biggest names play in their favourite colour, expectations will not be light. But where do the biggest challenges lie for the Bergentheimer native?

"Honestly, his biggest task will be to win over the fans. That will not be difficult, as the fans at Anfield are known to be loyal to those who fight for them. He doesn't have to become 'the next Klopp' - he just has to be himself. From what I have seen of Slot, he seems a genuine and likeable person, who seems to have only positive references from all over Europe. That will undoubtedly help him at Liverpool."

"Of course he will also have to win games and bring his attractive football, but expectations have to be realistic. As long as he reaches the top four and picks up a few cup wins, he will be fine."

"That said, a real title race in the Premier League and a trophy or two would be great! The squad is certainly capable, but nobody will lose their composure if Slot does not win any cups in his debut season."