Liverpool plan for Arne Slot blown out the water as worst kept secret revealed early

If Liverpool were planning a slickly executed social media rollout to officially unveil Arne Slot as their next manager, it was blown out of the water by Jurgen Klopp on Sunday.

Having spoken repeatedly about his hope that Feyenoord would reach an agreement with Liverpool in recent weeks, the worst-kept secret in football was let out of the bag further when Slot revealed on Friday that his future was indeed on Merseyside.

And while it took until Monday evening for the Reds to officially confirm the appointment, it was Klopp, of all people, who pierced the silence with an impromptu and admittedly humorous call to arms to the club's supporters in his final act as manager.

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In an emotional end-of-season address to the 60,000 fans on Sunday, Klopp demanded the supporters afford "the new manager" the same sort of backing he enjoyed upon his own October 2015 arrival before briefly taking on the role of head choirboy, crooning what he hopes will be the new terrace anthem dedicated to Slot.

"Obviously I saw a lot of people crying and it happened to me as well but change is good and I don't know exactly what to expect but if you move with the right attitude into that then it will be fine because the basics are 100% there and that is the team and the new coach, or manager, sorry," Klopp said.

"If you give a s*** about what I want you to sing, actually, I have an idea. I heard the song (I'm So Glad) today a few times and you can do that, I am fine with that but let's now see what the response will be to this: Arne Slot! La laaa, la la laaa.

'"Arne Slot! La laaa la la laaa."

It was set to the tune of Opus’ Live Is Life, which has been a familiar pre-match hit heard at Anfield across the last few years and occasionally reworked by supporters to serenade Klopp.

"Now imagine it next season where you are not waiting to see how it starts," Klopp continued. "No, you run into it and with a new manager you go all in. And you keep believing, which is what you do, you can push the team. Get on your toes before we score, I say we because I am one of you now. I love you to bits."

It was definitely not how the club will have planned to announce Slot as Klopp's replacement and an outgoing boss leading the chants for his replacement is almost certainly unique in the often cutthroat world of modern football.

It did speak to how comfortable Klopp is with his own standing within the club now though that he was more than happy to cajole those who hang on his every word to get behind his successor just as fervently and while the off-the-cuff ditty was something of an unplanned moment of levity on an emotional day, it also highlights the wider transition that is about to sweep through the club.

In recent years, Liverpool have become famous for their ability to keep things under wraps and delivering news largely on their terms, through official club channels and only when all the Is have been dotted and the Ts have been crossed. The arrival of Slot, however, has been in stark contrast.

Klopp's break from tradition on top of Slot himself on Friday stating "I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year" is perhaps symbolic of how different things might just be going forward as Liverpool get set for so much change among the coaching and executive staff.