Arne Slot in awkward exchange with reporter over replacing Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool

Arne Slot refused to answer any questions about Liverpool after being surprised by a persistent Sky Sports reporter.

Liverpool have opened talks with the Feyenoord manager over succeeding Jurgen Klopp as they try to get ahead of potential competition from Bayern Munich. Slot is considered a good fit to build on Klopp’s work due to his playing style at Feyenoord and is the number one choice of Fenway Sports Group chief Michael Edwards and incoming director of football Richard Hughes.

Slot has two years left on his Feyenoord deal and it will cost around £8.6million in compensation to hire him this summer. The Dutch club are consigned to losing their manager and have already taken steps towards finding a replacement, having identified FC Twente boss Joseph Oosting as a target.

However, despite the wheels being in motion, Slot remains Feyenoord boss and is in the City of Deventer on Thursday night to manage his side against Go Ahead Eagles in the Eredivisie. It was there that he was quizzed by Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill as he got off the team bus.

Cotterill tried his very best to put his questions to Slot, but struggled with a security guard ushering him away. “You’re in the news,” Cotterill began, to which Slot smiled and replied: “I am, I can’t deny that.” Cotterill then said: “You said you wanted to go to the Premier League – is it a possibility?”

Slot was not sticking around to hear anything else he had to stay, quickly climbing up the steps with his shirt and suitcase in hand. With a suited security guard shadowing him, Cotterill only managed to get out the words “well, Liverpool want you” and “good luck” before his target disappeared.

Liverpool aren’t the first Premier League side to try and hire Slot – Tottenham came close to doing so last May, but couldn’t agree terms and ended up going for Ange Postecoglou instead. While careful to be respectful of his employers, Slot has not tried to hide his ambitions.

Speaking around the time that Spurs were chasing him, the 45-year-old said: "The next step will not be another club in Holland. If that is the next step, I’ve failed completely in the upcoming few years. A normal next step would be to go abroad and I’ve always said that the best league in the world is the Premier League."

He won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord last season and has secured the Dutch cup this season – and it is his playing style which has attracted Liverpool. Slot is known for his high-pressing, high-energy style that bears many hallmarks of Klopp’s with the Reds.

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