Feyenoord's Slot confident he'll be named new Liverpool boss

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Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot made it clear Thursday that he wants to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and confirmed reports that the clubs are discussing terms to make the switch happen.

“The only thing I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations,” Slot told ESPN before Feyenoord’s Eredivisie match at Go Ahead Eagles. “And then you sit in the waiting room and wait for what will come out.

“It seems clear to me that I would like to go to Liverpool. Now I’m waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I have every confidence in that.”

Slot emerged as the top candidate to take charge of Liverpool only this week. This was after the Merseyside club appeared to cool its interest in Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim and Xabi Alonso said he would remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season. Links with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi didn’t result in an approach from Liverpool.

Slot’s Feyenoord are on course to finish second in the table behind dominant leaders PSV Eindhoven and won the KNVB Cup on Sunday after a 1-0 win over NEC. They were also defeated finalists in the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League in 2022 and won the Eredivisie title the following campaign.

Liverpool have been on the lookout for a new boss since Klopp sent shockwaves through European football when he revealed in January that he would depart Anfield once the campaign was over. He said he was “running out of energy” in his announcement, while vowing to not work for another English club.

Klopp’s side subsequently won the League Cup in March, prompting some predictions that the Reds would also collect silverware in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Europa League to mark a glittering conclusion to the German’s reign. However, Liverpool tumbled out of the FA Cup semifinals to archrivals Manchester United in March before their elimination from the Europa League quarterfinals at the hands of Atalanta in mid-April.

Liverpool’s hopes of winning the Premier League were almost quashed entirely when they surprisingly lost 2-0 to local foes Everton on Wednesday.