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Jamie Carragher has Liverpool manager theory as Arne Slot appointment nears
Jamie Carragher believes it was always going to be hard for Liverpool to appoint someone of Jurgen Klopp's calibre and thinks the current era is one for "up-and-coming" managers.
Liverpool are close to finalising a deal to appoint 45-year-old Feyenoord manager Arne Slot as Klopp's successor, who will leave at the end of the season after nine hugely successful years at Anfield.
Slot emerged as an outside favourite to become the Reds' new manager after Xabi Alonso decided to stay put at Bundesliga winners Bayer Leverkusen for the 2024/25 season at least, while Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim was heavily linked with the soon-to-be-vacant role.
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However, Carragher believes that Slot's appointment is a sign of the managerial times and that there are no longer ready-made winners, like Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in years gone by, viable for teams looking to build success.
"My choice would have been Xabi Alonso," said Carragher on CBS Sports' coverage of the Champions League on Tuesday. "I don't think right now, we're in an era of managers of the past, big names. You think of [Jose] Mourinho, [Antonio] Conte, big names. Those managers aren't there.
"I think we're in an era now of up-and-coming managers. Ruben Amorim of Sporting CP and Arne Slot of Feyenoord were the two names [linked with Liverpool].
"Most Liverpool fans who go to the match wouldn't have really known who that man from Feyenoord [Slot] is. It's not like bringing in Rafa Benitez, like when I was there, or Jurgen Klopp - who people were aware of. But I think that's just the place we find ourselves in right now."
Last week, Liverpool reached a financial agreement with Feyenoord, believed to be in the region of £9m, for Slot, who is now waiting to agree personal terms before rubber-stamping his move to Anfield this summer.
The Dutchman's appointment is the latest in a summer of change for owners Fenway Sports Group, who recently brought former sporting director Michael Edwards back on board in a new, wide-ranging role as the 'CEO of Football' within FSG's empire.
Richard Hughes will also begin his role as sporting director on June 1, having agreed a deal to join the Reds from Bournemouth.
