With Arne Slot beginning his job as Liverpool head coach next week, the Dutchman’s captain at Feyenoord, Gernot Trauner, has revealed what he’s like.
Slot will officially start work at Liverpool on June 1, though the 45-year-old has already arrived on Merseyside as he adjusts to his new home.
He has left Feyenoord after three successful seasons, and is tasked with an enormous job in replacing a legendary figure in Jurgen Klopp.
There is a sense of the unknown when it comes to Slot, despite his CV in the Netherlands, but Trauner – who joined Feyenoord soon after the coach and became club captain – has explained his management style.
“He was a very important factor in me coming to Feyenoord and has always relied on me,” Trauner told Flashscore.
“He’s a tremendous specialist and has incredible ideas in terms of ball possession, buildup play and positioning. A lot of detail in running and passing.
“There is no pass without an idea behind it. He tries to move the opponents and find open spaces.
“He has a very good feel for what he has to tell the team in meetings, how he has to treat people, and whether he has to tickle someone.
“He is of a very, very high level. I can definitely imagine that things will also go very well for him in the Premier League.”
Liverpool were successful in convincing Slot to leave Rotterdam, but he had already turned down advances from the likes of Tottenham and Leeds as he awaited what Trauner labels “the right club.”
“Of course, it hurts us, we would have liked to have had him with us for longer,” the Austrian continued.
“But I’m not crying for him because it was clear that he would take the next step at some point. It was only a matter of time before he found the right club.
“Liverpool and Arne Slot could be a perfect match. I wish him all the best.”
Only fellow defender Lutsharel Geertruida (127) has made more appearances under Slot than Trauner (104), so the 32-year-old is well placed to detail his quality as a coach.
Liverpool appear to have landed an intelligent, thorough head coach with a strong understanding of squad dynamics and man-management.
In short, as Trauner argues, Slot seems to be the “perfect match” when it comes to Klopp’s successor at Anfield.