Cody Gakpo becomes latest Liverpool player to speak on 'curious' Arne Slot appointment
Cody Gakpo admits he is "very curious" about the prospect of Arne Slot replacing Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager this summer.
Liverpool reached an agreement with Feyenoord in late April over a compensation package that will see the Reds pay close to £10m for the Dutchman to move to Anfield ahead of next season.
Slot has been repeatedly open about his desire to succeed the decorated Klopp next term but no official announcement has been forthcoming from either side as of yet.
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Despite that, though, Gakpo admitted it is an interesting proposition when speaking to Viaplay after Sunday's 4-2 win over Tottenham, where the Netherlands international registered an assist for Mohamed Salah and his 15th goal of the campaign.
“To be honest, I have never worked with him,” Gakpo said. "I know, of course, that he is a very good coach who has shown it at AZ Alkmaar and at Feyenoord too.
“Of course, we played against [his Feyenoord] a few times, they were often difficult games. I am very curious and I think we are all very much looking forward to it.
“The focus at the moment is not there yet and is now on finishing the last two games well, for ourselves, for the club, for the coach, and then we will look further at the new coach.”
Liverpool stepped up talks with the Eredivisie side after their KNVB Beker (Dutch Cup) victory over NEC Nijmegen on April 21 and initially had an offer of around £7.7m turned down before reaching a deal to speak to Slot.
Speaking after Sunday's 5-0 hammering of PEC Zwolle, Slot said: “I’m not worried at all about whether it will go ahead – the question is when it will be communicated.
"I think I agree on that, that it looked like that [a farewell]. Because of all the rumours in the media, I think they are expecting me to leave. Yeah, that is something we could say."
"If the official confirmation is there and I’m 100% sure that I will go there, I don’t think I’ll only watch that game, I will watch a lot of games from them."
“I think it’s normal that if you go to a new club, and if that would be Liverpool, it is normal that you contact the former coach. I did this when I went to Feyenoord as well. It’s more than normal that, all the knowledge a person has that worked a few years at that club – and in his situation, even nine years – that you contact him.
"Apart from that, I know his assistant quite well, Pepijn Lijnders. But if there’s an official confirmation when the season is done, it would be strange if I didn’t call him then.”