Liverpool finally CONFIRM Arne Slot will succeed Jurgen Klopp as their new manager… with the departing Feyenoord boss to officially start work next week on a three-year deal

Liverpool have confirmed Feyenoord boss Arne Slot will succeed legendary outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp and take over as head coach from the start of next season on a deal believed to run until 2027.

Mail Sport reported last week how the 45-year-old Dutchman had emerged as Liverpool’s favoured candidate to replace Klopp after a thorough, data-led search. The two clubs reached a verbal agreement three weeks ago.

Liverpool will pay around £7.7million as a base figure for Slot, which could rise to £9.4m with bonuses, and the Dutchman will bring at least three of his trusted lieutenants with him to Anfield as the Reds’ coaching team will be completely overhauled in the summer.

Klopp’s right-hand men Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders have also departed the club, with the latter becoming manager of Red Bull Salzburg. Elite development coach Vitor Matos will follow Lijnders to Austria, with several other backroom staffers departing.

Slot, who won the Dutch Cup last month and Eredivisie title last season, is bringing his trusted lieutenant Sipke Hulshoff to Anfield – he has stepped down from his part-time duties alongside with Ronald Koeman at the Netherlands, which he juggled with Feyenoord coaching.

Head of performance Ruben Peeters and analyst Etienne Reijnen are also among the staff Slot will bring to Merseyside, as first revealed by Mail Sport.

Klopp told Mike Gordon, who ran football operations at owners Fenway Sports Group, of his desire to step down in late November. Liverpool then commenced a thorough, data-led process to find an appropriate replacement, even though Klopp’s exit was not public until January.

The club have had a mass overhaul since then with Michael Edwards returning to the club as CEO of Football at FSG and Bournemouth transfer chief Richard Hughes joining as sporting director. Julian Ward also returned to the club alongside Benfica’s Pedro Marques.

Liverpool’s director of research Will Spearman was influential in a recruitment process which included sophisticated data analysis, character research, market assessment and various other indicators.

Xabi Alonso emerged as the obvious front-runner upon Klopp’s exit announcement – though Liverpool never received any encouragement that the former midfielder would be willing to join Bayer Leverkusen. Ruben Amorim was considered but Slot was favoured.

The Dutchman, who had AZ Alkmaar on the brink of a league title before Covid ruined that season, was very keen to take on the job. When Liverpool first approached his camp, including agent Rafaela Pimenta, the process was relatively swift.

Feyenoord turned down Liverpool’s first bid but Dutch sources suggested that was a matter of optics and that the Rotterdam club wanted to be seen to be fighting to keep Slot, though he had made his desire to leave known.

Liverpool’s hierarchy also noted how Slot has significantly overperformed. Before his arrival, Feyenoord were a club in disarray with just one league title in the 21st century. He has returned them to one of Holland’s super-powers.

He also favours a 4-2-3-1 system which Liverpool noted as a factor to work in his favour as it suits the squad and is not too dissimilar from the shape Klopp used to such success during his nearly nine years on Merseyside.

Klopp publicly endorsed Slot last month as a ‘good coach and good guy’. Slot told Mail Sport in Rotterdam that he would be willing to pick up the phone and pick the brains of Klopp for advice, which is expected to happen when he officially starts at the club.

Slot was on the verge of joining Tottenham last summer but that fell through after a last-minute change of heart from the manager which he publicly stated was due to a lack of Champions League football. He was also in advanced talks with Leeds in 2023.

His first assignment is likely to be Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States – which includes three matches in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Columbia – though it is unknown whether the boss will request they play a couple of games in Europe first.