Arne Slot: Who is the Dutch manager replacing Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool?
As Jurgen Klopp departs Liverpool, fans are eager to find out all about the Dutch football manager taking over the top job at Anfield.
It was one of the worst-kept secrets, but after expressing an interest in replacing Klopp in April former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot has been officially announced by Liverpool FC.
Jurgen Klopp made the decision to depart the team in January in a bid for a "normal life".
The 56-year-old described his nearly nine-year stint at Liverpool as a "fairytale", but said he does not want to have to wait until he is too old to lead a normal life.
Klopp said Arne Slot is set for the "best job in world" at Liverpool.
So who is the man taking over one of the most popular and successful clubs in the English football league?
Arne Slot, born Arend Martijn Slot, is a Dutch native who began his professional footballing career in the Netherlands in 1995, playing for FC Zwolle.
At just 17-years-old, Slot made it into the first team at Zwolle where he later became a goal-scoring attacking midfielder.
He then moved to NAC Breda in 2002, playing against Newcastle United in the first round of the 2003 UEFA Cup where the club lost 5-0 and 0-1 to the Magpies.
Who has he coached?
Slot retired from playing at PEC Zwoolle in 2013 and became a member of staff at the club working as a youth coach for a year, before being appointed as an assistant coach at Cambuur, helping the team climb from 14th to 3rd place in the league.
In 2017, the 45-year-old joined AZ Alkmaar, where he worked as an assistant coach.
Slot then took over from Vaan den Brom as AZ's head coach for the 2019-2020 season and became one of the club's most successful managers.
AZ came third and fourth in the Eredivisie, the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands, in 2018 and 2019 and lost the 2018 KNVB Cup final to Feyenoord.
In Slot's first season in charge at AZ, the club managed to reach the UEFA Europa League.
In 2020, Slot was sacked as head coach of AZ for not being focused on the team after negotiating a deal with Feyenoord.
Slot signed a two-year deal with Feyenoord as the club's new coach for the 2021-2022 season.
What are his successes?
He was the first coach to win 19 points in his first eight Eredivisie games at AZ.
In Slot's first season at Feyenoord, he helped the club reach round 16 of the Europa League for the first time in 20 years.
He led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title.
Feyenoord won the Dutch Cup this season and are second in the Eredivisie.
What has Klopp said?
Klopp wanted to sign off with a second Premier League title, but finished the season in third place.
Speaking at a presentation on the pitch after the 2-0 victory over Wolves, Klopp addressed the crowd and offered a positive outlook on the future.
“You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team. Change is good,” said Klopp, who sang the name of Slot to the tune of one of the songs the crowd sing about him.
“It’s a great job, great team, fantastic people. He would take a really, really interesting job.”