"He had a thousand questions" - Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders offers glowing verdict on 'unbelievable' Arne Slot
Departing Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has hailed Arne Slot as an 'unbelievable' coach who will be perfect to manage a young team like Liverpool. The former Feyenoord manager was recently confirmed as the Reds' choice to replace Jurgen Klopp following the German's departure at the end of the season.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager had a glorious nine-year stint with the Anfield club. Klopp led Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years and their sixth UEFA Champions League trophy. As per Klopp, his time on English shores is up and whenever he does return to managing, it will be in another country, with another team.
Lijnders has stated that he met Slot nine years ago and has stayed in touch with him since, which made it certain that he was the right man to replace Klopp.
"I know Arne really well. He came to my house in Holland about nine years ago,” Lijnders reveals. He came to speak to me about football. He drove for a long time to see me and he had a thousand questions. I tried to answer them all! Since then, we’ve stayed in close contact. He’s an unbelievable coach, who knows exactly what he wants and has the experience to be at a club like Liverpool," Lijnders said via The Athletic.
"There are similarities between Feyenoord and Liverpool. Their fans are so passionate. They also sing You’ll Never Walk Alone," he added.
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 and made the Reds one of the most prolific teams in Europe.
Lijnders claimed that the Merseyside club need a young coach and with Slot taking over, Liverpool will move towards an unprecedented rate of growth.
"You need a coach like Arne who is close to what we tried to do over the years, in terms of having the ball in the opposition half, pressing, counter-pressing — he’s very strategical in that point of view. He’s made good steps and now it’s the chance for him to make another big step," he explained.
"When I spoke with Mike (Gordon) and Jurgen, I said you need a young coach who can grow with this new team. Arne has everything in him to be a success here," Lijnders added.
Liverpool to hold a farewell event called 'An Evening with Jurgen Klopp and Special Guests' on May 28
Liverpool have planned an elaborate farewell arrangement for Jurgen Klopp.
The event will take place at the M&S Bank Arena on Tuesday, May 28. It will be hosted by lifelong Reds fan John Bishop.
The highlight of the event is a live question-and-answer event with Klopp. This will allow fans to take a glimpse of all the intimate details that went behind the scenes during Klopp's nine years at the club.
While the German gaffer didn't reveal his future plans, he stated that he'd be taking a long break before returning to management.