Steve Nicol shares Arne Slot admission as Liverpool close in on Feyenoord boss
Steve Nicol has questioned whether Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has the experience to lead Liverpool to Premier League and Champions League titles.
Slot, 45, has openly stated his desire to become the Reds’ next head coach when Jurgen Klopp steps down at the end of this season, and Liverpool appear keen to appoint him.
Nicol, though, is uncertain of the Dutchman’s credentials, but feels there are no standout alternatives for Liverpool to turn to instead.
Speaking to ESPN (25 April), he said: “Is that the resume of somebody to lead a club the size of Liverpool back to the Premier League title and the Champions League? I mean I can’t honestly say that.
“All the other boxes have been ticked, the way they play the game, the way he goes about it, he’s going to be able to coach.
“But is it really a resume to take over one of the biggest clubs in the land? I’m not sure it is, but what are the alternatives?”
Is Arne Slot the man to steer Liverpool to glory?
Slot has spent three seasons in charge of Feyenoord and has built a side with a recognisable style and brand of football in that time.
In his first season at the club, he led the Rotterdam-based side to a third-placed Eredivisie finish and the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League, though they were beaten 1-0 by Jose Mourinho’s Roma in Tirana.
His second campaign – 2022/23 – brought with it Feyenoord’s first trophy under Slot as they claimed their first league title since 2017. Their cup performance was also impressive, reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup, with Roma and Ajax knocking them out, respectively.
This term, Feyenoord look set to miss out on the Eredivisie title, sitting second behind league leaders PSV – but they did go all the way in the KNVB Cup, beating NEC Nijmegen 1-0 in the final to lift the trophy.
Nicol’s concerns about Slot’s pedigree at the very highest level are valid – but what the Dutchman has produced in his relatively short managerial career thus far has been promising, and Liverpool fans will hope he can deliver if he should move to Anfield.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds are set to announce a £50m+ Adidas deal.
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