Arne Slot: The Inheritance Job—Winning with Someone Else’s Legacy Still in the Room

When Arne Slot joined Liverpool in the summer of 2024, everyone knew the job was never going to be only about results. At the time, Anfield still had everything Jürgen Klopp. This included the players. What the man who built his reputation in the Netherlands was given to start with was what the now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull left behind.

The Dutch’s playing days as an attacking midfielder at Zwolle, NAC Breda, and Sparta Rotterdam may not have made him popular, but they are the reason why he sees the game the way he does today. He retired in 2013 and went into coaching, getting his chance first with Cambuur then AZ Alkmaar.

At AZ, his side pushed for the Eredivisie title in the 2019/2020 season and finished level on points at the top before the campaign was cancelled because of coronavirus. At the time, one of the things he did was establish himself as a coach who trusted the players who understood their roles.

His work at Feyenoord sheds even more light on that. Slot joined the Rotterdam club in 2021 and turned them into one of the strongest teams in the country. They reached the Europa Conference League final in 2022, losing narrowly (1-0) to Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma. Putting that aside, he won the Eredivisie in 2023, and added the KNVB Cup the following year. Among other things, the feats showed a team that played with a clear plan and identity. That followed him to England.

Anfield still had Klopp’s imprint when he came in. The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent-Alexander Arnold carried years of habits and leadership the German had formed. At first, Slot was smart enough not to push all that aside. He worked with what he was given and the results began to show.

The Liverpool Job

In his first season at the club, Liverpool won the Premier League title. Slot became the first Dutch manager to win the English top flight, and he did so thanks to a squad assembled by his predecessor.

The achievement raised expectations. He had won, but how much of this was his own, and how much belonged to the structure he inherited?

That would affect the squad. Some players from the Klopp era moved on as Slot began to rearrange the group with his ideas. By the summer of 2025, it became more obvious that the Reds were moving away from Klopp. Joel Matip left on a free, Thiago Alcântara retired, and Caoimhín Kelleher was sold to fellow Premier League side Brentford. Those were understandable, but others were not.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, to the chagrin of many fans, insisted and left for Real Madrid, in a headline move that ended a long era on the right side of Liverpool’s defence. Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez were moved on, removing two attackers signed and developed under Klopp. 

And, of course, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) reinvested, spending well over £400 million on players. They brought in Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, and Hugo Ekitike.

The squad changed, but the team became inconsistent. Liverpool’s defence became an issue, the performances fluctuated, and  the team became a shadow of its former self. As revealed by The Athletic, Slot admitted that earlier this season when he said the summer changes made the inconsistency unsurprising.

The situation also affected the team internally. Klopp’s players were no longer guaranteed starts, and the most sensitive case involved Mo Salah. In December last year, the Egyptian was benched for three consecutive matches. This was something that rarely happened under Klopp. After a 3-3 draw against Leeds United, a bottom-half side in which he was benched, the 2024/25 Premier League Golden Boot winner did not hold back. “It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus,” Salah said to the press.

As of January 2026, the 47-year-old is in charge, but the team no longer command games like before. One may argue the team is now regaining form, though, as they travel to the Vitality Stadium for their Premier League match against Bournemouth, on the back of 13 unbeaten runs across all competitions(W7, D6).

Results are relatively inconsistent, especially as he continues to be compared with Klopp, who is seen as one of the greatest managers of the game. With so many departures this season, and more this year, in the managerial position in the Premier League, there is a sense of belief that the Dutch will not see the season out. But then, the context matters. Slot is managing a squad in transition. The Dutchman is being judged by a high standard.

The inheritance job needs time. Slot has already shown he can win with someone else’s legacy still in the room. Only time will tell whether that legacy will fade into the background or continue in  every conversation about his time at Liverpool.