Liverpool complete £10m deal to keep them for many years ahead of Man Utd embarrassment

When Crystal Palace scored a fourth goal against Manchester United at Selhurst Park on Monday night, Erik ten Hag couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Perhaps rather fittingly, the United manager was dressed in black as goals from Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Tyrick Mitchell went past Andre Onana to consign the Red Devils to their 13th defeat of season in the Premier League.

For the Ten Hag, who was so optimistic about the prospect of ending Liverpool and Manchester City’s dominance of English football when he was unveiled as Manchester United manager less than two years ago, this unfortunate defeat to The 4-0 at Selhurst Park was a brutal reality check as it saw him become the first Old Trafford boss to lose 13 games in a single Premier League season.

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“I admire them both,” Ten Hag said in May 2022. “They play fantastic football. But eras end.”

Sure, Ten Hag was right about some things. Jurgen Klopp has just two games left as Liverpool manager after a remarkable nine-year career at Anfield. The German is set to be replaced by Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, with staff members Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, John Achterberg, Vitor Matos and Andreas Schlumberger also departing.

And with Richard Hughes set to begin his role as sporting director on June 1 under the guidance of Fenway Sports Group’s new ‘CEO of Football’ Michael Edwards, this summer will see the curtain drawn on an illustrious era in Liverpool’s modern history.

But with the Reds sitting third in the Premier League and securing a return to the Champions League next season, as well as winning the Carabao Cup just three months ago, one can only assume that’s not how Ten Hag saw the Klopp era . final.

Of course, United played a crucial role in spoiling the outgoing manager’s dream farewell when they knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup in March, before a frustrating 2-2 Premier League draw at Old Trafford last month took saw Klopp’s men surrender top spot. .

But at a time when much uncertainty was expected to circulate at Anfield as FSG prepared for a summer move to a post-Klopp world, United missed the chance to help Ten Hag fulfill his promise upbeat since his unveiling at Old Trafford.

United supporters will argue that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a controlling stake in the club in December acted as a catalyst for change at Old Trafford. Indeed, true. And since acquiring his 25%, the INEOS boss has made radical changes across the board in a bid to restore the feel-good factor of yesteryear.

However, Ratcliffe’s willingness to play a patient game at Old Trafford ensures that United go into the off-season with little clarity on how things could look next season. That’s because, after striking a shrewd deal to poach Omar Berrada from Manchester City and appoint him as the club’s new CEO in January, United are refusing to be financially taunted by Newcastle United in a deal to appoint Dan Ashworth sports director.

As a result, if the two clubs fail to agree a financial package in the coming weeks and months, the 53-year-old will not start work at Old Trafford until the first months of 2026, two years after arriving to Ratcliffe.

The question is how much capital United will throw at over-inflated transfer fees at that point as they enter negotiations without a designated executive. One can only assume it would be a significantly higher sum than the £20m Newcastle are asking for the transfer boss.

Ashworth, however, is not the only man unsure if he will be working at Old Trafford next season, with the Ten Hag’s managerial position still in the balance despite United being on course for the Premier League’s lowest finish. The Dutchman’s success has been talked about by Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel in recent weeks, with Ratcliffe and Co weighing up whether to jump aboard the managerial bandwagon.

FSG, on the other hand, have operated with surgical precision since Klopp informed them in November of his decision to step down at the end of the season. And after Edwards’ new role was confirmed in March, he wasted little time in starting to crunch the numbers with Liverpool’s director of scouting, Will Spearman, as the pair decided Slot was the ideal candidate to take over the reins at Anfield this summer.

Like United, Liverpool’s coveted first-choice came at a cost, but even after seeing an opening bid of £7.7m rejected by Feyenoord, the Anfield bosses quickly hit back with a improved proposal worth up to £9.4m to ensure there is no chance of a dull issue. and the public barter for Slot.

So as we approach the second anniversary of the Ten Hag’s optimistic introduction to English football, there is only one Dutchman equipped to usher in a new era in the Premier League: Arne Slot.