Dutch legend Johnny Rep backs Arne Slot to win Liverpool Premier League NEXT YEAR by bringing ‘Total Football’ to Anfield
- Feyenoord coach Slot is set to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.
- Rep, who reached two World Cup finals in the 1970s, backed him to impress
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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 this summer and two-time World Cup finalist Rep believes he will make an instant impact.
This would be Liverpool’s 20th league championship, putting them level with rivals Manchester United.
“Arne has what it takes to replace Klopp and there is a chance he could win the Premier League in his first year,” Rep told The Sun.
“Arne did great things at Feyenoord, winning both the league and the cup, and I can’t wait to see him do the same at Liverpool.
Arne Slot won the title against Feyenoord in the Netherlands and did the same 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 lead a club as big as Liverpool because he is 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 victory over the NEC.
Compensation of £9 million has been agreed for Slot to move to Anfield this summer, with personal terms to be agreed.
Klopp, 56, ended Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, a year after leading the team to a sixth Champions League success.
Rep, 72, who was part of the famous Dutch “total football” teams of the 1970s, believes Liverpool fans will appreciate Slot’s way of playing.
“Arne was influenced by Johan Cruyff’s Total Football and loves putting his teams in the spotlight,” he added.
“But while the offensive aspect of his game is the one that stands out, his teams are also gifted defensively.”
Rep added that Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will improve under Slot.
Klopp’s final season at Anfield was unsuccessful. On their way to a potential quadruple when they won the Carabao Cup in February, they have since exited the FA Cup and Europa League.
Jurgen Klopp ended Liverpool’s three-decade wait for a league title in 2020
The representative predicted that Liverpool’s Dutch players Cody Gakpo (right) and Ryan Gravenberch (left) would improve under Slot’s tutelage.
Their hopes of a second Premier League title for Klopp appear to be over after a 2-0 defeat at Everton and a 2-2 draw at West Ham last week.
Liverpool sit third in the table, five points behind leaders Arsenal with three matches remaining.
