Liverpool’s new manager, Arne Slott, insists he is focused on developing the club’s inherited talent rather than on transfers.
The Dutchman is excited about the squad left behind by manager Jurgen Klopp and believes they have great potential to improve on last season’s third-placed finish.
Asked about new signings after a quiet start to the transfer window at Liverpool, Slott said: “I don’t have any specific figures. We’ve obviously inherited a good squad. We had already replaced some players last year.”
“From a football perspective, I know from the Euros how important it is to train with the team for longer periods of time and every day.
“We have a lot of good players but not all of them are at the same level as their clubs (at the Euros). This proves how important it is to work with the players every day and get the best performance out of them.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do. The longer a team plays together, the longer you see things improving usually if you have a good head coach. I’m lucky to go to a club that doesn’t have a lot of transfers. It’s hard to progress when you lose players.”
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Slott added that he is comfortable with the title of head coach rather than manager and will have a say in transfer activity.
“For me it’s not a change. This is how we work in Europe. It’s always been this way at my previous clubs,” the 45-year-old explained at his packed presentation at the AXA Training Centre. “There aren’t many clubs in the world where one person decides everything. It will be a collaboration between people.”
“I don’t think there are many sporting directors who would bring in a player that the head coach doesn’t like, and vice versa.
“At a club like this, there are a lot of people who have a say beyond just the two of us. That’s how I’ve worked the last few years and that’s the way I like to work.”
“The way I will spend my time over the next few weeks is to get the team in the best possible shape to prepare for the first games. Once I start working with the players, I will have a better understanding of the areas we need to improve.”
Liverpool finished third in the Premier League last season (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
New sporting director Richard Hughes suggested a move was more likely to happen later in the transfer window, once Slott has had time to fully assess his squad.
“First and foremost we need to improve on the training ground and as long as there is a chance of a transfer we will take it while we can,” said the manager, sitting next to Slott.
“Industry-wide, there are obviously big tournaments in the summer that attract a lot of attention. After all the hustle and bustle (at the end of June), I think things will calm down a bit now. That’s my prediction for July.”
“Then as we get into August there will be more time to work with players and football clubs will have more solidified opinions. And so in August we may see a situation where clubs are rushing to get things done. It may be a quiet July and then a boom in August.”
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Hughes refused to comment on the futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who are in the final year of their current deals. “It’s not fair to comment on contract situations,” he said. “It’s a private matter between the club and the players.”
(Top photo: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
