“I played for Arne Slot at Feyenoord and he used to mention Liverpool all the time”

Arne Slot, Liverpool’s newly appointed head coach, has long been an admirer of the club’s style of play under Jurgen Klopp. This was revealed by one of his former charges, who revealed that Slot would use Liverpool as a benchmark for excellence while coaching at Feyenoord.

Slot, who stepped into the role earlier this week, faces the daunting task of succeeding Klopp, who is hailed as one of Liverpool’s most successful managers in recent memory. Klopp’s tenure marked the end of a 30-year league title drought and re-established Liverpool as a force in European football, while transforming their style of play into one of the most entertaining in the game.

Liverpool supporters worried about the post-Klopp era may find solace in the fact that Slot seems determined to uphold the legacy. Cole Bassett, a Colorado Rapids player who was coached by Slot at Feyenoord, shared insights with Mirror Sport on how Slot will prepare the squad using clips from Liverpool.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Douglas Luiz battle, Bento tracked, Leny Yoro strike

READ MORE: Liverpool make Michael Olise ‘priority’ transfer target as Mohamed Salah plan takes shape

“He (Slot) introduced me to quite a few things and made me understand football a lot better,” Bassett said. “I’ve seen little things his teams have done and I know what it takes to play at a higher level. The funny thing is, he used to show us clips of Liverpool all the time.

“Liverpool was the one team that used to emphasize to us that if we wanted to play at the top level then that was what you had to do. And now he’s got there so I think it’s pretty special for him.”

Prior to joining Liverpool, Slot was linked with several top jobs in the Premier League. He was on Tottenham’s radar before they picked up Ange Postecoglou and publicly turned down Leeds before they were relegated to the Championship.

Given his clear admiration for Liverpool, it’s no wonder the feeling was mutual. “I wasn’t surprised he ended up at a big club like Liverpool,” adds Bassett. “I never knew if Liverpool was his team or anything, but it’s funny to watch it now.

“They would show clips of Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz sprinting back in defense and be like, ‘if you want to be at a top club, this is what you have to do.’ who were not top players.

“We had Reiss Nelson and Luis Sinisterra, who are both now in the Premier League, but he said: ‘If you want to be at this level, look at what they’re doing and that’s what I expect from you “. Maybe Liverpool was one of the teams he aspired to be at, but it’s quite funny that he ended up there after showing us so many clips of them.”

Slot’s reluctance to move to the Premier League has been Liverpool’s gain, even if he now faces the daunting task of succeeding the club’s most successful modern manager.

“I thought he was going to Spurs last year,” admits Bassett. “But I’m glad that maybe he waited a bit and now he’s got an even bigger club in his own right with his move. It’s tough coming after what Klopp did there, but I’m curious to see how he did. I think he’ll do really well, but we’ll see how he goes.

Liverpool.com says: Slot is a great fit for Liverpool and will work hard behind the scenes even though we haven’t seen or heard from him yet. The Dutch coach plays Klopp-like football and that has been a big draw, but he will also need to find the right balance: he needs to make sure he is his own man and put his own stamp on things.