- Feyenoord coach Slot will replace Jürgen Klopp as Liverpool coach
- Rep, who reached two World Cup finals in the 1970s, has backed him to impress.
- Does Mo Salah regret not having left Liverpool last summer? Are you now at risk of tarnishing his Liverpool career? Listen to the It’s all starting! podcast
Dutch football legend Johnny Rep has backed new Liverpool manager Arne Slot to win the Premier League in his first season.
Feyenoord boss Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp at Anfield in the summer and two-time World Cup finalist Rep believes he will make an instant impact.
It would be Liverpool’s 20th league championship, putting them level with rival Manchester United.
“Arne has what it takes to fill Klopp’s big boots and is likely to win the Premier League in his first year,” Rep said. Sun.
“Arne has done great things at Feyenoord, winning both the league and the cup, and I can’t wait to see him do the same at Liverpool.
Arne Slot gave Feyenoord the title in Holland and has done the same again in his first season in Liverpool.
Dutch icon Johnny Rep has backed Slot to make an instant impression at Anfield next season
“He has all the credentials to manage a club as big as Liverpool because he is simply an excellent manager.”
Slot, 45, guided Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title last season, their first since 2017, and this month won the KNVB Cup with a 1-0 victory over NEC.
A £9million compensation package has been agreed for Slot to move to Anfield in the summer with personal terms to be agreed.
Klopp, 56, ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, a year after leading the team to its sixth Champions League success.
Rep, 72, who was part of the famous Dutch ‘total football’ team in the 1970s, believes Liverpool fans will love Slot’s way of playing.
“Arne was influenced by Johan Cruyff’s Total Football and loves putting his teams ahead,” he added.
“But while the offensive side of his game is what stands out, his teams are also adept at defense.”
The representative added that Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will improve with Slot.
Klopp’s last season at Anfield has gone up in smoke. Chasing a potential quadruple when they lifted the Carabao Cup in February, they have since abandoned the FA Cup and Europa League.
Jurgen Klopp ends Liverpool’s three-decade wait for a league title in 2020
The representative predicted that Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo (right) and Ryan Gravenberch (left) will improve under Slot’s tutelage.
Klopp’s hopes of winning a second Premier League title appear to be over after a 2-0 defeat to Everton and a 2-2 draw at West Ham last week.
Liverpool are third in the standings, five points behind leaders Arsenal with three games left.
