Liverpool notebook - Arne Slot key date as talks with agents begin over transfers and contracts

The 23/24 football season may still be ongoing but Liverpool are firmly looking ahead to next term under Arne Slot.

The Jurgen Klopp era is now over - bookended by a raucous send-off at the M&S Bank Arena on Tuesday evening - and Slot is in place to start this week alongside new sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, as Fenway Sports Group's 'CEO of football'.

Ahead of what could be a busy few weeks behind the scenes, the ECHO brings all the latest off-diary tidbits in our Liverpool FC Notebook

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June 1 makes new era official

Saturday will mark the official start date for Liverpool's new era.

Arne Slot is already on Merseyside adjusting to his new surroundings and while all eyes will be on Wembley for the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, the Reds boss officially gets to work alongside new sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, who now replaces Mike Gordon as the head of the club, day to day.

As transitions go, it is a pretty dramatic one from the Klopp era, where the manager had started to organically assume many of the responsibilities that will now be shared across a number of figures with experience in all areas.

Julian Ward and Pedro Marques, as FSG's technical director and director of football development, are also expected to begin their new roles on June 1 and while there is understandably plenty of trepidation for what comes next without the talismanic Klopp at the helm, Liverpool have ensured there is ample expertise around to negate a drop-off.

With the players now enjoying a post-season holiday before reporting for international duty with their respective nations, there is little for Slot to do in terms of coaching so meetings and talks are likely to centre around recruitment and plans for the summer as Liverpool look to build on a big step forward last term.

That will naturally involve frequent chats with Hughes and the pair striking up an understanding early on will be vital for progress to be made across the next few months.

Owners FSG and Liverpool have looked to be proactive in their efforts to restructure the club in the wake of Klopp's announcement in January and another busy few weeks at the AXA Training Centre will help Slot when pre-season begins in over a month's time.

The Dutchman will likely want to get a good look at the squad at his disposal but with little time to waste at the sharp end of the Premier League, June could be just as busy a month as any other as the new-look setup at Anfield begin what is hoped will be an exciting era.

Hughes sounding out agents

Ahead of the induction date, sporting director Hughes has already been sounding out the agents of several within the Liverpool squad to introduce himself, break the ice and start relationships.

Hughes, who was instrumental in the discussions with Slot to become head coach last month, has a lengthy in-tray upon his own start date with the contracts of three major stars at Anfield still in need or urgent attention.

What happens with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be fascinating in the coming weeks and months but whatever decision is reached by the club, the players and their representatives, Hughes will undoubtedly be a busy man either way.

It's why he has already been reaching out to agents ahead of more formal negotiations over contracts going forward. A proactive approach could be key this summer for Liverpool as they aim to put their best foot forward without Klopp in situ.

Klopp lets guard down

As he has been for the last few weeks, Jurgen Klopp was in fine fettle on Tuesday evening.

A specially-organised event in his honour was held by Liverpool at the M&S Bank Area with the now former Reds boss in conversation with comedian John Bishop and LFCTV's Peter McDowall.

While performances from the Lightning Seeds and the Zutons were undoubtedly appreciated by the 9,000 in attendance on the night, it was Klopp who was the main event and his willingness to muse on a number topics with searing honesty endeared him to supporters even more on the evening.

Klopp told the crowd that he had been advised not to mention a handful of topics but could not resist when asked about Manchester City's dominance during his time with the club, where, had it not been for Pep Guardiola's men, the outgoing manager would leave Anfield with three Premier League titles.

City, of course, remain under investigation for 115 financial charges, with a hearing reportedly expected for later this year.

"If you organise a bus parade, I'm in. However long it takes, I don't care," Klopp said when asked about retrospective titles by comedian Bishop, before adding: "I'm still a happy man. I came in here tonight and would obviously change a few things, but not for me personally. I come here tonight and say goodbye, would you be in a different mood if we had won the league three times instead of one time?

"I know it's all about success but the relationship we created is independent of trophies. It's based on trust, togetherness and the experiences we made together.

"The trophies are important. If we didn't win anything, we would have had the farewell party after one and half years and that's not the same obviously. I learned it so early in my life as a manager. Not getting promoted by a point and then later not getting promoted [at Mainz] by a goal teaches you sometimes.

"You can try absolutely everything and still get nothing for it. But if you don't try then you definitely get nothing. So we kept trying and, from time to time, things came together and clicked and we won."

Klopp will be at Wembley on Saturday to watch Dortmund in action against Real Madrid in the Champions League final. With his former club in action against the team who denied him two more European Cups at Anfield there are no prizes for guessing who he is supporting on the night.