The captain of Feyenoord, Gernot Trauner has made it clear that Arne Slot has his team’s blessing to join Liverpool.
The Dutchman, 45, has emerged as the Reds top target to succeed Jurgen Klopp in the summer and has already expressed his interest in making such a move following reports that Liverpool and Feyenoord are in talks over a compensation package for his services.
Slot guided Feyenoord to their first Dutch title in six years last term and is widely regarded as one of the Eredivisie ‘s top coaches.
And after he went public with his desire to speak to Liverpool ahead of Thursday night’s 3-1 win over Go Ahead Eagles, Slot’s captain, Trauner, backed him for the Anfield job.
Speaking to ESPN after the match, Trauner said: “As a whole team we appreciate what he has done for us, how he has developed the team.
“For the time being it is not done yet, so of course we hope he stays here! But we also know that there will come a time for him to take the next step. If that next step is Liverpool, no-one will blame him [for leaving]. If it happens, I will be very happy for him.”
Goalkeeper Justin Bijlow echoed those sentiments, saying:
“The coach has achieved something fantastic at the club over the past three years. When he came, we had a completely different philosophy – playing football from the back was not really our thing.
“But also just the professionalism, everything about him. The entire organisation has improved a lot [under his management].”
Slot, who was the subject of interest from Tottenham last year, reiterated his desire to move to Anfield post-match on Thursday evening.
He said: “In the past, other members of my staff have been afforded a nice move. Now I’m really asking for a favour, especially when you see the amounts being offered.
“It’s a decision for the club. On the one hand, the club quite rightly wants to get a lot of money out of the deal and, on the other hand, I think there will be some gratitude from their side for the past three years.
“A balance will have to be found in terms of the transfer fee. It depends on the management of both clubs, I’m just sketching out a scenario of how I think it should go.”
He added: “It is not the first that a major club has shown interest [Tottenham last summer]. Then I made the choice to stay. That was a good choice for all parties. Now another big club has come calling. I am waiting to see how it will turn out.”
