Liverpool are set to finalize Arne Slot’s appointment as Jürgen Klopp’s successor this week. He will link up with new sporting director Richard Hughes at Anfield this summer.
Arne Slot won’t be the only new face tasked with spearheading the post-Jürgen Klopp era at Liverpool. The Dutchman is in line to take over at Anfield this summer after an agreement was reached with Feyenoord, with personal terms likely to be a formality.
His impending appointment is the final piece of the jigsaw for the Reds and returning chief Michael Edwards. Shortly after he was confirmed as FSG’s CEO of Football, Edwards said his ‘urgent attention’ was on filling leadership positions at Anfield.
His first port of call was hiring a new sporting director, with Richard Hughes arriving from Bournemouth. The pair worked together at Portsmouth and have had a close personal and professional relationship ever since.
Hughes will officially start work at the end of the season but he is likely to have been heavily consulted during the process of identifying Klopp’s successor. And his last appointment at Bournemouth will give Liverpool fans reason for optimism.
The Cherries decided to axe Gary O’Neil at the end of last season despite him impressively securing Premier League survival with games to spare. In came ex-Rayo Vallecano boss Andoni Iraola and the Spaniard endured a difficult start to life in England.
Bournemouth didn’t win any of its first nine matches this season, a run which included a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield back in August. Iraola found himself under pressure just months into his reign, with his side struggling in the relegation zone.
But a 2-1 victory over Burnley in October sparked a revival, with Bournemouth then winning six of their next eight games to climb well away from trouble. And Iraola and his players have not looked back.
Ex-Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke has been key, scoring an impressive 18 goals, but the manager deserves great credit.
Sunday’s 3-0 rout over Brighton took Bournemouth into the top half on 48 points. That is a record for a single season in the top flight, and there is still three games to play.
Hughes and the Bournemouth board resisted any calls to part ways with Iraola and that belief has been justified, with Bournemouth playing some eye-catching football in recent weeks. Should it make more impressive additions in the summer, European football could well be the target next season.
Liverpool’s next sporting director Hughes will not have had the final say on Slot’s imminent appointment but he has already shown how well he can work with a talented coach. If he and the Dutchman can strike up a similar bond, the future could be even brighter for the Reds.
