Arne Slot 'signs Liverpool contract today' as Jürgen Klopp replacement secured

Liverpool has almost all of its focus on Jürgen Klopp for the next few days. But while this fantastic era is celebrated, the club is busy planning the next one, and Arne Slot looks set to be at the helm.

Plans are being put in place for Klopp's farewell, with some special tributes prepared at Anfield. Meanwhile, the players have had their own send-off for the manager. But football never stands still for long, and while the outgoing boss will go down in Liverpool history, the immediate attention will switch to Slot before long.

It's been an open secret for weeks that the Feyenoord boss is bound for Anfield. He has spoken about it publicly. But the final formalities were yet to be confirmed.

Jürgen Klopp dispels FSG transfer myth before leaving Liverpool in intriguing comments

How Liverpool players said goodbye to Jürgen Klopp and moment he burst into tears

Now, though, according to Fabrizio Romano, it's officially a done deal. Slot will officially sign the contract that makes him the next manager of Liverpool Football Club today (Friday, May 17).

The timing of the announcement is still in Liverpool's hands. The club will have to walk a tightrope there; Klopp's farewell takes priority, but a delay will seem increasingly pointless and unsettling the longer it goes on.

But whenever it feels the moment is right, Slot can now be unveiled, with 'all documents in place'. The final piece of the jigsaw, aside from going public with the news, is securing work permits for some of the backroom staff whom the coach intends to bring with him to Liverpool.

Slot rose to the top of Liverpool's list of candidates having won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord last season, following up with a strong second place this time around. He shares a number of fundamental tactical principles with Klopp, but will also provide a refreshing change after almost nine years.

Liverpool.com says: There will be plenty of time to get excited about Slot in due course. For now, it's all about Klopp, and it's hard to picture Liverpool without him at the helm — but FSG have restored the likes of Michael Edwards and Julian Ward to positions of prominence to ensure the transition is managed in the best possible way.

If the team behind the scenes believe that Slot is the right man to replace Klopp, then he's probably got as good a chance as anybody else. There's no denying that he has achieved some impressive things in the Eredivisie, and with everything now in place, it's all about how that transfers over to the Premier League.