A former Liverpool player Mark Lawrenson has warned incoming manager of the club Arne Slot that he faces an “impossible” job at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to leave the club at the beginning of the year after a nine-year spell.
The German manager became a fan favourite and guided the team to success in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Since his announcement, the club have started their search for a successor and they have considered a number of promising young managers.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga this season while in charge of Bayer Leverkusen, was the early favourite to become the next Anfield boss.
But after his decision to stay at the German club, the Merseyside club shifted focus to Sporting manager Ruben Amorim before finally deciding to go with Arne Slot.
Slot is close to becoming the new Liverpool boss and he has already been warned by a club legend.
Lawrenson believes that Slot faces an impossible job to replace Klopp and he would leave the club in 18 months if he doesn’t get early success.
“Everyone is pleased that Arne Slot to Liverpool is 99 per cent done, and that he wants to go there,” Lawrenson told Paddy Power, as reported by Liverpool Echo.
“He’s not had to scream to the Feyenoord owners which is also good.
“I just think that the next year is almost an impossible job, following Jürgen Klopp. If he’s got the team in all the competitions by Christmas time, he’ll have done well, and that will bring the belief.
“But if it’s punctured with one or two strange results, you’re going to get people saying, ‘He’s not Klopp,’ and all that kind of stuff. It’s a great job for him to get, I just feel he might only do a year, or 18 months total and then it’s whoever after that.”
The Feyenoord boss has enjoyed success in Holland after winning the league title last season.
He is known for his attacking style of football and ability to develop young players.
To replace Klopp and follow the work he has done at Anfield would be difficult for any manager in the world, but Slot fits the profile Liverpool are looking for.
The Dutchman is known to work in a collaborative manner which would help Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to run the club smoothly.
