FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Europa League - Round of 32 Second Leg - LASK Linz v AZ Alkmaar - Linzer Stadion, Linz, Austria - February 27, 2020 AZ Alkmaar coach Arne Slot before the match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
(Reuters) -Liverpool have appointed Feyenoord's Arne Slot as manager to replace departing coach Juergen Klopp next season, the Premier League club announced on Monday.
Slot has been in charge of the Dutch team since 2021, and won the Eredivisie league title in 2022-23 along with the KNVB Cup this season, while Feyenoord also reached the Europa Conference League final in his first season at the club.
"It's certainly not an easy decision to close the door behind you at a club where you've had so many great moments and worked successfully with so many great people," Slot said in a statement on Feyenoord's website.
"But an opportunity to become a head coach in the Premier League, at one of the biggest clubs in the world, is hard to ignore as a sportsman."
Klopp announced in January that he would leave Liverpool at the end of this season and, after much speculation, Slot confirmed on Friday that he would become Liverpool manager.
"Liverpool Football Club can announce Arne Slot has agreed a deal to become the club's new head coach, formally taking up the position on June 1, 2024, subject to a work permit," the Anfield club said in a statement on Monday.
On Sunday, after Liverpool's final game of the season, a 2-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, Klopp led the Anfield crowd in a song for the incoming manager.
Slot was linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job at the end of last season before signing a contract extension at Feyenoord, and his aggressive, attacking style attracted Liverpool to entice the Dutchman to the Premier League.
Liverpool ended the season third in the Premier League, nine points off champions Manchester City, while Feyenoord finished runners-up to PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
FANS' FAREWELL
Slot was given a rousing send-off by the Feyenoord fans after their final league game of the season on Sunday, a 4-0 home win over Excelsior, as the 45-year-old's three-year spell at the club came to an end.
"I really enjoyed my three years at Feyenoord and felt very much at home from day one, both within the club and with the supporters," Slot said.
"When I started in Rotterdam in the summer of 2021, I was convinced that it was possible to achieve success at this wonderful club.
"The fact that we have reached a European final in three years and have won several prizes makes me more than proud."
This season, Feyenoord were denied a repeat of their title win only by an impressive PSV, who have lost once, while Feyenoord have suffered defeat twice, the same as last term, to finish nine points of the pace.
Slot's success and entertaining brand of football has previously attracted interest from English clubs, including Crystal Palace and Leeds United, before Spurs tried to persuade him to join them at the end of last season.
He decided to remain at Feyenoord, extending his contract, but the approach from Liverpool proved irresistible, and Slot will now have the tough task of replacing the much-loved Klopp who leaves after nine years at the club.
"Arne has undeniably left his mark on Feyenoord, showing not only football-loving people in the Netherlands but also beyond the borders what we stand for and are capable of as a club," Feyenoord general manager Dennis te Kloese said.
"Liverpool will gain an extraordinary professional."
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)
