Liverpool boss Arne Slot is on the precipice of becoming an Anfield icon a mere year into his stint in charge, with the Reds on the brink of Premier League glory. Yet fans will be intrigued to know that their new hero actually goes by a different name from the one they know.
While known as Arne to many, the Dutchman’s actual name is Arend Martijn Slot. Arend is the Dutch word for eagle, and, while not a common name in the Netherlands, it was passed down to him by his father.
The revelation has naturally resulted in fans filling social media with their befuddlement. “Just Googled this. Not sure I’ll ever recover,” one fan said in response to a post on X that initially stoked supporters’ interest about the Liverpool boss’s actual moniker. “I need to sit down,” another said, while a third added: “I was today years old when I found this out”.
Slot’s wild success at Liverpool is not something many saw coming when he was given the unenviable task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp, after the German’s sterling nine years in charge.
However, Slot’s real name, only now being unearthed, is just another intriguing aspect to the head coach who, since replacing the father of ‘heavy metal football’, has gained a reputation as being stoic and a little on the quiet side, compared to Liverpool’s former boss.
Upon being announced by the club, Slot, 46, spoke to his humble character by insisting that he was coming into a side that was firmly shaped by his predecessor.
“He [Klopp] 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,” Slot said to Liverpool in June 2024.
However, he didn’t hide his ambition for the team. He looked to confidently build on Klopp’s third-place finish in the 2023/2024 season, something he has carried out in style.
“I think in the end we would all love to see Liverpool a bit higher than third place and this is the challenge we are facing now – to build on from what we have,” the former Feyenoord manager added.
With the gap now standing at 12 points between Liverpool and Arsenal, and with just four games remaining, the Reds could wrap up their 20th top-flight title with a draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.
Yet despite being in touching distance of the promised land, Slot displayed some more of the humility that Liverpool fans have come to love when asked about his side’s proximity to the Premier League title.
“At our training ground we’re just focused on the training session we do and trying to prepare in the best possible way for Tottenham,” he said to the media. “It is a team where all the [injured players] are coming back, who deserve our full attention.”
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