Arne Slot’s first three jobs if appointed Liverpool boss including Virgil van Dijk decision

The manager who succeeds Jurgen Klopp at Anfield has an almighty challenge ahead and there will be immediate questions to answer, no matter who comes through the door.

To say Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is unestablished would be unfair given his Dutch Cup success at the weekend and his Eredivisie title triumph last year, but he would certainly be required to answer a few extra questions.

Liverpool have identified him as their top target and discussions are ongoing regarding a deal that would see him make the switch, with Xabi Alonso out of the picture and Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim unlikely to join.

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Slot has been hailed as boasting a silver tongue, something that he will need to utilise when discussing the futures of a number of players as he vies to make an instant impact on Merseyside.

Contract decisions

Arguably Liverpool’s most important three players are out of contract next year and Slot would be required to convince Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah to stay.

The former would be the most likely to pen a renewal, but the situation is not so straight forward for the other two. Captain Van Dijk has already hinted he might head out of Anfield, albeit he later rowed back on the nature of his comments.

Meanwhile, Saudi outfits will continually be linked with Salah - who turns 32 in June - every window from now on, unless he categorically rules out a move. He has insisted that Klopp’s exit will not impact his decision on his future but that does not mean he isn’t eyeing a summer switch.

All three come to a crossroads this summer, or at least within the next 12 months. The options are either sign a new deal, be sold in the next two windows, or let their contracts expire thus allowing them to leave for free next year.

Slot will be required to make a quick impression on all three and perhaps the shared nationality will tempt Van Dijk to stay on - unless the club decides he and Salah are past their best-before date.

FFP scope

Klopp and his team have been commended for bringing so much success to Liverpool while operating on a lower financial turnover compared to other top six clubs. The numbers back it up.

During his reign, Liverpool have had the lowest net spend - £254m - with the next lowest figure among the ‘big six’ being Tottenham on £484m. Manchester United have a whopping net spend of £888m and Chelsea, £835m. Arsenal and Manchester City have spent nearly £700m, too.

There is a fear that the reality of FSG's tight purse strings, hidden so well by Klopp’s management, will be exposed under the new manager. The scope of spending must be a question Slot asks during his interview process.

Before deciding who to keep and sell this summer - much of which will be influenced by pre-season and the club’s current stance - Slot must assess Liverpool’s Financial Fair Play status, which will impact his next task.

Finding a finisher

Liverpool have had no problem with creating chances this season, but they’ve had an extremely frustrating time finding the net when it’s crunch time. The Reds have actually scored three or more goals on 15 occasions in the Premier League this season but only two of those have come since the start of March, a timespan of eight league matches.

It’s no coincidence that Diogo Jota, Liverpool’s most clinical striker, has been absent for six of those games. That may infer a simple cause-and-effect relationship but Jota’s persistent injuries are a problem, meaning he alone cannot be relied upon.

He has sat out 20 fixtures this season due to setbacks and has suffered six separate injury instances during the last three campaigns, which have increased in frequency as time has gone on.

Darwin Nunez is failing to find the net when Klopp needs it most while Cody Gakpo has scored just six Premier League goals in 31 outings. The type of striker that is hunted for, be that a deep-lying forward or a natural number nine, depends on what system Slot would wish to implement.

But finding a goal-grabber under a new untried manager at Anfield will be an ominous task, especially if the funds are not available. Other areas also need strengthening but the need for a striker is climbing the priority lost with each run-in match that passes.