Arne Slot could be ‘on the verge’ of bringing in somebody who he wanted at Liverpool when he first came to Anfield two years ago.
There was a major changing of the guard on Merseyside after the 2023/24 season, with many of Jurgen Klopp’s backroom staff also departing with him, leaving the German’s successor to assemble his own coaching team.
Sipke Hulshoff followed him from Feyenoord as his assistant, although the head coach was thwarted in his attempts to bring fellow De Kuip aide Etienne Reijnen with him as he had neither a UK work permit, nor the requisite coaching qualifications for a Premier League position.
Fast forward two years, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Slot will finally get his wish.
As revealed by Dutch reporter Valentijn Driessen on Vandaag Inside (via 1908.nl), Reijnen may now be ‘on the verge’ of a move to Liverpool, with the Reds’ head coach keen to add the 39-year-old to his backroom team once he completes his coaching diploma.
The former AZ and Zwolle centre-back is currently part of Robin van Persie’s technical staff at Feyenoord and bolstering his qualifications in order to accelerate a move to Anfield.
This news comes in the same week that current Reds assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst is being lined up by the Rotterdam outfit as a candidate for the technical director vacancy.
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If the former Arsenal defender is tempted back to De Kuip and Slot is left with a major backroom position to fill for the second summer in a row (after John Heitinga’s departure for Ajax last year), Reijnen could be an immediate candidate to come in at Liverpool.
The Reds’ head coach evidently trusts him from their mutual time at Feyenoord and may be all the more determined to bring him in after being thwarted by bureaucratic red tape in 2024.
Of course, it’s not yet guaranteed that the 47-year-old will remain in charge for the start of next season, having faced serious scrutiny amid a hugely underwhelming second year at the Anfield helm, but FSG are expected to keep faith in him for the time being.
If Van Bronckhorst were to depart for Feyenoord, it’d come as a significant relief to Slot and Liverpool for Reijnen to move in the opposite direction and immediately fill the vacancy in the head coach’s backroom staff.
From Driessen’s report, it appears as though the Reds boss will finally get his long-held wish.
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Given the pace Slot likes a 39 year old could get a game..
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