- Feyenoord coach Slot is set to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool’s manager
- Rep, who reached two World Cup finals in the 1970s, has backed him to impress
- Does Mo Salah regret not leaving Liverpool last summer? Is he now risking tarnishing his Liverpool career? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast
Dutch football legend Johnny Rep has backed new Liverpool boss Arne Slot to win the Premier League in his very first season.
Feyenoord manager Slot is set to 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, drawing them level with rivals Manchester United.
‘Arne has what it takes to fill Klopp’s big boots and it’s possible he’ll win the Premier League in his first year,’ Rep told The 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 in Liverpool.
Arne Slot delivered title success to Feyenoord in the Netherlands and has been back to do similar in his first season at 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’s simply an excellent coach.’
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 win 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 he led the team to a sixth Champions League success.
Rep, 72, who was part of the famous Dutch ‘Total Football’ sides in the 1970s, believes Liverpool fans will warm to Slot’s way of playing.
‘Arne was influenced by Johan Cruyff’s Total Football and loves to set his teams up on the front foot,’ he added.
‘But even though the offensive side of his game is the one that stands out, his teams are defensively adept, too.’
Rep added that Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will improve under Slot.
Klopp’s final season at Anfield has fizzled out. On for a potential Quadruple when they lifted the Carabao Cup in February, they have since exited the FA Cup and the Europa League.
Jurgen Klopp ended Liverpool’s three-decade wait for a league title back in 2020
Rep predicted Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo (right) and Ryan Gravenberch (left) will improve under Slot’s tutelage
Their hopes of winning a second Premier League title for Klopp appear to be over after a 2-0 loss at Everton and a 2-2 draw at West Ham last week.
Liverpool sit third in the standings, five points behind leaders Arsenal with three matches to play.
