Arne Slot is a few days into life as Liverpool manager. The Dutchman officially took over from Jurgen Klopp on Saturday, June 1 as he takes on an enormous new challenge in the Premier League.
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There’s a lot happening at Anfield. Of course, the departure of Klopp after nearly a decade marks the biggest change, and Slot can be under no illusions he has big shoes to fill.
There’s also been changes behind the scenes, with Michael Edwards back at FSG overseeing a new football department and Richard Hughes coming in as Liverpool’s new sporting director. Throw in a host of new appointments behind the scenes in Slot’s backroom staff and the lingering uncertainty of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contracts, and there’s been a lot for Slot to worry about.
For Liverpool’s players, there will also be some sense of trepidation about what the future might hold for them in the post-Klopp era. But for many of the biggest names, there are more pressing matters to currently think about.
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Andy Robertson and Cody Gakpo are both among the many Liverpool players preparing to play in the European championships for their country this summer. And both have recently revealed that they have yet to speak to Slot in his first few days as manager.
However, it’s seemingly for good reason. Robertson stated that Slot is likely leaving them to focus on their international commitments, and neither man is concerned at the radio silence they’ve so far faced.
While their time to address the future at Liverpool will come, for the moment they are focused on international ambitions. Slot clearly recognizes that, and both players are clearly feeling positive about the future judging by their public comments.
“I haven’t spoken to him yet,” Robertson admitted to Sky Sports after Scotland kicked off its Euro 2024 preparations last night with a 2-0 win over Gibraltar. “I think he’s leaving us to focus on the Euros.”
He added: “It’s an exciting new challenge. Obviously the old era was pretty special and I’ve got a lot to be thankful for for that manager but obviously excited now by the new manager coming in — new ideas, new voice — and I’m really excited for what can come with that.
“I’ve got no doubts we can keep that momentum going. From all the reports we’ve had, the manager’s very good and I can’t wait to see that up close.”
Gakpo, speaking to De Telegraaf via Sport Witness, said over the weekend: “I just don’t know yet what he is like as a trainer and I have not spoken to him before. Then I’m not just going to shout something, am I? But I do know that he has always made it very difficult for us at PSV and is known as a very good trainer, of course.
“Eventually there will be a conversation about the situation of each player and what the plans are. If you talk about neat football and high pressure, with the latter being a very big characteristic of us under Jürgen Klopp, then that is also something we are certainly used to.”