UFC star Paddy Pimblett lauds Arne Slot as 'next Bob Paisley' amid Jurgen Klopp comparison

UFC superstar and Liverpool fan Paddy Pimblett has hailed Reds boss Arne Slot as the Bob Paisley of his generation as he praised his record-breaking start to life at Anfield.

The Dutchman has overseen a staggering 15 wins from his opening 17 games in charge on Merseyside, with his team sitting top of the Premier League table and the Champions league standings currently. His performance in the hotseat is the best of any Liverpool manager in history at this stage in their reign.

The former Feyenoord head coach's showing is made all the more impressive, given the size of the task of succeeding modern-day Kop legend Jurgen Klopp. Now, MMA star Pimblett has spoken in effusive terms about Slot's start to life with the Reds as he predicted that he could lead the club to the league title in his first year in charge.

• How Liverpool's 17 internationals have fared during the international break

• Liverpool injury news and possible return dates including Federico Chiesa update

During an interview with Liverpool.com, arranged by AceOdds, the man known as 'The Baddy' confessed that he feels a 20th domestic triumph could be in the offing for the Reds. Giving his verdict on Slot's tenure so far, he said: "I think it could happen even more now. I'm optimistic.

"At the start of the season, I was like, he's going to come in and do big things. I am an optimist. I said, first season, I said Nunez was going to outscore Haaland. That's how much of an optimist I am. That's how much I back my own team. I've been saying to people that Klopp had to come in. He didn't have a team, he had to build it all up himself."

The Merseyside-born fighter also compared Slot with legendary ex-Liverpool manager Paisley, who famously led the club to further success after Bill Shankly's storied spell as boss. The latter had ended the club's wait for a FA Cup glory in 1965, while also winning three league championships, before Paisley won four European Cups and six league titles in his nine years in charge.

Predicting that Klopp may have laid the foundations for Slot to win even more silverware than he did, Pimblett said: "Klopp is our generation's Shankly and Slot's going to come in and be our generation's Paisley. He’s going to win more than what Jürgen did. I'm even more happy about us defending so well and not conceding many goals. It's [...] great."

Elsewhere, the UFC fan favorite revealed his stance on the contract sitation surrounding Liverpool stalwarts Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. With the trio having entered the final years of their respective deals at Anfield, all three will be able to leave for nothing at the end of the current season if they fail to sign extensions.

Giving his opinion on whether the Reds can hold onto their leading lights, Pimblett opined: "Nah, they're definitely not all leaving. I want them all to stay. I don't want anyone to leave but I think Van Dijk and Salah are both going to stay. I think that Trent is more than likely going to go to Real Madrid."