Liverpool are expected to conclude their talks with Feyenoord ahead of the weekend, which should see Arne Slot bring two key staff members with him.
Slot is due to be confirmed as replacement for Jurgen Klopp in the coming days, following negotiations over compensation with Feyenoord.
Though Liverpool’s initial offer was rejected by the Dutch club, a package worth around €10 million (£8.6m) is likely to complete talks over the 45-year-old manager.
According to the Mail‘s Merseyside reporter Lewis Steele, along with colleague Sami Mokbel, there is now “an expectancy at the Dutch club that those discussions will reach a positive conclusion.”
“Well-placed sources believe an agreement will be reached by the end of the weekend,” it is explained, with an announcement possible within the same timeframe.
The reports adds that the €10 million fee quoted would not include any of Slot’s existing backroom staff at Feyenoord.
However, the Dutchman does intend to bring at least two members of his support team with him when he makes the switch to Anfield.
• READ: Arne Slot: The Dutch football view on new Liverpool manager
Those would be assistant manager Sipke Hulshoff and head of performance Ruben Peeters.
Hulshoff has been Slot’s assistant at Feyenoord since 2022, when he was promoted from the role of U21s manager, while he has also held the same role for the Netherlands national team since the start of 2023.
That means the 49-year-old has already worked closely with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo, with the Liverpool captain praising Hulshoff’s impact.
“Of course I didn’t know Sipke Hulshoff before this,” Van Dijk told Voetbal International during Hulshoff’s first camp with the national team.
“You have to get to know each other. You see what his qualities are and I personally certainly like that.
“Hopefully he can continue that well. He is very clear and tactically strong.
“I like the moments when he leads a training session. I think I also speak for the group. We’re only four days into it, but it’s a good start.”
Peeters, meanwhile, has held the role of head of performance at Feyenoord since 2021 – arriving at the same time as Slot – having previously worked as fitness coach with KRC Genk in his native Belgium.
The 31-year-old is highly regarded in his field and has explained his role as being to “decrease risk of injury and create extreme player fitness.”
Deals to hire Hulshoff and Peeters are expected to lift the overall compensation to around £13 million, with Liverpool due to pay a record fee for a manager from a Dutch club.
Fan Comments