Arne Slot has revealed that he spoke with Jurgen Klopp after being appointed as the German’s successor as Liverpool manager.
Slot has officially began work with Liverpool after agreeing to take charge of the Reds this summer, with the 45-year-old appointed after successful spells at AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord.
The Dutchman has opened up in his first Liverpool interview since taking over at Anfield and has revealed he was keen to gain insight from Klopp regarding the past regime and the squad he has inherited.
“Yeah. I did the same in my former clubs when I started over there but I think if someone worked at a club for nine years [and had] been so successful, you want to know all about it from him and you also want to know things of the players – although I think it is also important to get my own opinion about that,” Slot said in an interview with the club’s official website.
“So, you can only use all this information he has because he did so well, not only in terms of results but I think also everybody saw in his farewell but also in the years before that how popular he was.
“He gave me more than a few good tips but I think what stood out for me was that he was so happy for me and that – and I think he said this in the media as well – he would be my biggest fan from now on because he supports Liverpool in the best possible way, and you don’t see this very often. So, it says a lot about his character, the way he handled this situation as well.”
Slot spoke further on his admiration for Klopp and said the former Liverpool manager was responsible for a ‘fantastic era’ in the Premier League.
“I am 45 now and [have been] watching football for a long time and watching football a lot, and I think this has been an era where everybody looked at the Barcelona side of Xavi [Hernandez], [Andres] Iniesta and [Lionel] Messi and the rivalry there was between Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo being there.
“And I think when that came to an end, the new rivalry in European football came because of Jürgen – he managed Liverpool and Pep Guardiola, of course, managed Manchester City and I think for everyone who loves football it was a fantastic era to watch the both of them getting the best out of each other.
“Yeah, I have seen a lot of games of Liverpool, a lot of games of City as well, and when you live in Europe the Premier League is probably the nicest league to follow. So, yeah, he has done a tremendous job over here and I am really happy with that as a fan, but now as his successor he left Liverpool in the best possible way, I think. So, a very good team, the fans are very good as well, so [I am] looking forward to it.”
