Who is Arne Slot? New Liverpool head coach confirmed after being compared to Pep Guardiola

The new era at Liverpool begins. Arne Slot has been confirmed as the club's new boss, taking over from Jürgen Klopp.

The news was confirmed today by the club, 24 hours on from Klopp's last game in charge. His appointment has been no secret for some time now — Slot has been open when previously talking about the move to Liverpool, while Klopp led the Anfield crowd in singing his name in during his farewell message on Sunday.

Slot's appointment comes after a long search conducted by FSG and Michael Edwards following Klopp's announcement that he would be leaving back in January. Xabi Alonso had been the early favorite before ruling himself out of the running, while Rúben Amorim was seemingly considered before the club landed on Slot.

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The 45-year-old has compiled a strong body of work in the Netherlands and won the Eredivisie last season. His high-pressing style of play and proven track record of improving players are said to have impressed the Reds. This year, Feyenoord finished second in the league standings but won the Dutch cup.

Slot has impressed since making his move into management. An attacking midfielder during his playing days, in which he turned out for FC Zwolle, NAC Breda, Sparta Rotterdam and PEC Zwolle, he became a youth coach at the latter of those clubs upon his retirement in 2013 before becoming an assistant at Cambuur.

In 2016, he was made interim coach alongside Sipke Hulshoff of the Leeuwarden-based side, before leaving the club the following year to become John van den Brom’s assistant at AZ Alkmaar. He would then go on to succeed Van den Brom as the club’s head coach.

His first season in charge was brought to a premature end by the COVID-19 pandemic, with AZ only trailing leaders Ajax on goal difference with nine games remaining before the campaign was abandoned. His work at the club though was attracting interest from Feyenoord, and later that year, he was sacked by AZ after negotiating a deal with the Rotterdam club.

Slot’s first season at Feyenoord saw them finish third behind Ajax and PSV, while also reaching the final of the Europa Conference League, where they were beaten by José Mourinho’s Roma. His second season would see Feyenoord clinch its first Eredivisie title since 2017, and also led to Slot being linked with a move to the Premier League.

He was touted for the vacant Tottenham job last summer, having also reportedly been in the running for the Leeds United job earlier in the year. Slot though would end up signing a new deal at Feyenoord, keeping him at the club until 2026, or so it seemed.

Slot’s attacking brand of football has caught the eye in recent years, and has also seen him compared with Pep Guardiola (via TalkSport). What’s more, he had earmarked the Premier League as his next destination before being linked to Liverpool.

"My next step will not be a club in Holland," he said last year (via Sky Sports). "If that is my next step, then I've failed completely. The normal next step will be to go abroad and I've always said the best league in the world is the Premier League."

Slot will now prepare for a busy summer as he gets ready to take the reins at Anfield. He will have a tough act to follow in Klopp, but with the departing Liverpool boss' ringing endorsement, he will be hoping to pick up where the German left off.

An original version of this article was first published on April 23. It has been updated following the confirmation of Slot's appointment as the new Liverpool boss.