Arne Slot has been branded ‘the cool one’ after leading Liverpool to the Premier League title. The Dutchman was only appointed Reds boss last summer after the departure of long-serving Jurgen Klopp.
He has now become just the fifth manager to win the top-flight in his first season since 1992. It is a remarkable achievement, with his side sitting 15 points clear of closest challengers Arsenal with four games to go.
Sunday’s 5-1 demolition of Tottenham secured the final point Liverpool needed to claim their first title since 2020. Slot was somewhat of a surprise choice as Klopp’s replacement.
He had previously only managed Dutch sides Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, winning two trophies at the latter. Slot has now added one of the toughest league titles to his trophy cabinet.
And while eyebrows may have been raised when he first arrived at Anfield, the Dutchman has now earned his place among other Liverpool greats. And it has now been revealed why sporting director Richard Hughes opted to pursue Slot last year.
“When you say they have no major signings, the major signing was the manager,” former Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports. “I spoke to Richard Hughes about this and I said, ‘why Arne Slot?’
“He said, ‘because everything pointed towards a man that could handle that big club mentality, you have to not just manage the team but you have to manage expectations. You have to be calm about managing this club’.
“I think the way that he has done that has been absolutely phenomenal. He’s a super cool guy. When [Jose] Mourinho came in, he was the special one. This guy is the cool one. He doesn’t get flustered.”
Slot has not tried to hide his pride at seeing his team lift the Premier League title. He admitted that he was aware of the doubts about his appointment, but paid tribute to club chiefs for backing him.
“Very, very happy, of course, but to a certain extent also quite unreal because you work so hard for this moment to happen and when it then does happen, it needs some time for you to truly feel it,” he said.
“But the fans were so happy that it didn’t take us long, didn’t take me long to understand what we’ve achieved together this season. For them to trust me to be in this position, maybe now everybody says, ‘That makes complete sense.’
“But the moment they signed me, maybe not everyone was as convinced as everyone is now. So, that tells you also what a special club this is that they don’t always go for maybe the most simple or obvious choice – they make the choice that they think is best for the club.
“It must be a special moment for them as well, second time in five years that they win the league. And now to do this in front of our fans is special for everyone, including them.”
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