Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has suggested that Feyenoord manager Arne Slot could be a good fit to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout next season. It has been reported over the last few days that the 45-year-old Slot is set to begin talks with the Reds, and Van Dijk said his compatriot “might be one of the better Dutch coaches at this moment”. Virgil van Dijk says that Feyenoord manager Arne Slot “could be a Liverpool coach” as the club prepares for the departure of Jurgen Klopp at the end of the current season, amid reports of talks between Slot and the Reds.
Klopp is bringing his nine-year stay at Anfield to an end when the campaign closes and Liverpool are said to have stepped up their interest in the Feyenoord manager in recent days.
Slot has enjoyed success during his time in charge of Feyenoord as he guided the club to the Dutch league title last season, and he also won the KNVB Cup last week. Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Merseyside rivals Everton on Wednesday, Van Dijk suggested that Slot’s playing style could be a good fit at Anfield.
“I find it difficult to answer it now, of course,” Van Dijk told Viaplay. “But I think Arne Slot might be one of the better Dutch coaches at this moment.
“I think the way he plays and the philosophy he has that he could be a Liverpool coach. Only in my opinion, what I also read and hear, of course, is that it is far from finalised. “We will see. Next year we will focus on that.”
Van Dijk was also critical of his Liverpool team-mates following the derby loss which dented their chances of winning the Premier League in Klopp’s final season in charge. Liverpool remain in second place, three points behind leaders Arsenal, but third-placed Manchester City can go five points clear of them if they win their two games in hand.
“I think everyone has to look in the mirror, look at their own performance and if they really gave everything,” he told Sky Sports after the game. “Do they really want to win the league?
“We are fighting, there are games after tonight, but play like we did overall in the game like today… not winning challenges and giving the ref an opportunity to give a free-kick like he did many times, then you have no chance to win a title.
“It’s a tough one and we need to do much better against a side that’s [fighting] relegation. We had clear-cut chances in the first half that we should have scored but we weren’t good enough and it starts with the fight.
“We can’t let the season go out like this.”
Liverpool will be looking to bounce back when they travel to West Ham United on Saturday, live on TNT Sports.