Jurgen Klopp’s Departure and Arne Slot’s Arrival: Ensuring Liverpool’s Success Continues

The English Premier League finished this past weekend, and although Manchester City won their fourth straight title, the biggest storyline came from another part of Northwest England, Liverpool. It was the final game for Liverpool’s beloved manager, Jurgen Klopp, and people from all over the UK tuned in.

Klopp’s farewell speech after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers attracted 70% more viewers than Manchester City’s title celebrations which were televised at the same time. Additionally, Liverpool received 39.2 million engagements on social media over the final weekend, as the club finished the 2023/24 EPL campaign (1.4 billion) with the most engagements throughout the entire season.

Now, Liverpool will be moving on from a fantastic manager and human being, as the Dutchman, Arne Slot, steps into charge. Will Liverpool be able to sustain the same success they had with Klopp under the new man in charge? Let’s dive in.

Arne Slot – Liverpool’s Manager Today

Liverpool announced that Arne Slot would be joining the club as the next head coach starting June 1, 2024 – pending a UK work permit. So, who is Arne Slot, and what has he done during his managerial career?

Slot began his managerial career in the Netherlands in 2016 when he took over Cambuur, a Dutch team in the second division. Since then, he’s managed AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord before inking a deal with the Reds this year. His teams play an attractive, attacking style, and he was awarded the Rinus Michels Award for Eredivisie Manager of the Year during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons at Feyenoord.

Replacing Klopp as a coach will be nearly impossible, but Slot has posted a better-winning percentage through 242 games (62.4%) in the Netherlands than Klopp did in his managerial career in Germany (49.1%). Replacing Klopp’s results on the pitch will be one thing, but will he be able to foster a culture of winning the right way at Liverpool? Many things will help him do just that, so let’s dive into the various factors needed to sustain Liverpool’s success.

Is Liverpool’s Success Sustainable?

Klopp’s Liverpool was a joy to watch, and although he’s no longer at Anfield, the team should be able to sustain some level of success. According to Transfermarkt, Klopp won 62.6% of his Premier League games as manager, which only trails Antonio Conte (62.6%), Sir Alex Ferguson (65.2%) and Pep Guardiola (74%). When you put into perspective that Klopp went toe-to-toe with two of those three managers, it’s truly remarkable what he was able to do at Liverpool.

Now, Slot will take over a club with talent from top to bottom, and it will be interesting to see who is still with the club at the start of next season. Securing a long-term deal with Trent Alexander-Arnold will be a top priority for Liverpool, and it’s extremely likely that captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool’s fifth-leading all-time goalscorer, Mohamed Salah, will be back. From there, we will have to wait and see how Slot proceeds and whether he decides to bring any talent from the Netherlands with him or look elsewhere for new players.

Based on the latest consensus betting odds to win next year’s EPL title, Liverpool (+900), Arsenal (+250) and Manchester City (-140) will be the three clubs with a true chance of running the table. So, Slot’s first goal as Liverpool manager will be to continue what Klopp set up and compete with Pep Guardiola’s team for a title. Whether that means bringing in new players or extending the current team will be up to the Dutchman, but sustaining success at Liverpool will be of utmost importance if he wants to lead the club for years to come.

Jurgen Klopp’s Future – What’s Next for the German?

Although the focus remains on Liverpool, I can’t help but wonder what Jurgen’s next chapter will be. The German already confirmed that he will take some time away from the sport before deciding what to do next, and he said that he won’t be returning to manage a club in England.

However, perhaps a stint as the German National Team manager will be next or maybe he will even return to Borussia Dortmund with a higher role with the club. Either way, Liverpool fans across the globe will be rooting for Klopp wherever he goes, and the German knows that he’ll never walk alone.

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