Arne Slot ‘more than deserves’ to manage Liverpool, according to PSV boss Peter Bosz (Picture: Getty)
PSV Eindhoven boss Peter Bosz says it would be ‘fantastic’ to see Arne Slot take charge of Liverpool, insisting the Feyenoord manager ‘more than deserves it’.
Slot, 45, has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the reins from Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside in the summer, with ‘serious negotiations’ taking place between Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s newly appointed sporting director, and Feyenoord in recent days.
Feyenoord are believed to be holding out for a compensation fee of €10million (£8.5m) for their head coach, who steered the club to their first league title in six years last season.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso had initially been identified as the first-choice candidate to succeed Klopp, but the Spaniard effectively ruled himself out of the running by committing his immediate future to Bayer Leverkusen last month.
Slot, who was heavily linked with Tottenham before Ange Postecoglou’s move to north London, is said to be desperate to manage the Reds, eager to push through a move to Anfield ‘at all costs’.
The Dutchman guided Feyenoord to KNVB Cup glory with victory over NEC Nijmegen at the weekend and will be determined to finish the Eredivisie campaign on a high, with the side trailing leaders PSV by nine points with four games remaining.
Speaking ahead of PSV’s trip to Heerenveen on Thursday night, Bosz was quizzed on the speculation surrounding Slot and claimed it would be ‘great’ to see his fellow countryman make the step up and manage Liverpool.
Feyenoord are demanding a fee of £8.5m for Slot (Picture: Getty)
‘It would be fantastic for Arne,’ the PSV head coach told reporters.
‘Liverpool is, of course, a big club and if it all works out, then that would be great for him.
‘He more than deserves it.’
Bosz’s PSV side sit nine points clear at the top of the Eredivisie table (Picture: Getty)
Bosz laughed off the suggestion that Liverpool should be chasing him instead of Slot considering PSV’s nine-point lead over Feyenoord in the Dutch top flight.
‘I’m having a great time, so just let me sit here!’ he responded.
Liverpool are on the hunt for Klopp’s replacement (Picture: Getty)
Dutch football icon Marco van Basten is confident has the qualities necessary to succeed at a club of Liverpool’s stature.
‘I think he’s really good,’ Van Basten said of Slot on Ziggo Sport.
‘I hope he stays in the Netherlands longer because it is an enrichment for Dutch football. He can really go anywhere – Bayern Munich, Liverpool… I’m really convinced of that.
‘I’ve spoken to him a few times and I think what he does and what he sees is very strong. He gets along very well with the group of players, is tactically well-versed, can explain things well and is calm and intelligent. I think he can go to any club, even at the very difficult clubs, because he is so intelligent.
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‘He has a lot of qualities and he shows it at every level. He first did it at AZ, and now at Feyenoord. And Feyenoord is a really complicated club. He has been doing well for three years, while PSV and Ajax have much more options in terms of money.
‘He could really fit anywhere. If you get AZ and Feyenoord to play football, you also get big clubs like AC Milan to play football. You can clearly see his hand where he is the coach.
‘I think it will even be easier for him at a higher level because he has better players who understand his ideas faster. I also think he is smart enough to manage stubborn players.’
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