Arne Slot’s coaching credentials were an immediate attraction for Liverpool, who will unveil Jurgen Klopp ’s Dutch successor next week.
But that comes as no surprise to Jakko Slot, brother of the Feyenoord coach. At just 14, he and brother Arne laid on coaching sessions when the pair were in charge of the FC Bergentheim youth team in their hometown.
“When we both look back at the sessions we used to do with those boys on the training pitch, it was actually ridiculous," he says. “The players were 16 years old, two years older than Arne and me! But Arne knew exactly how he wanted to coach them.
“It was way beyond their understanding and way above what a coach should pass on to young players. It was top level stuff already, but we both thought it was normal.’’
Although he had an 18-year career in the Netherlands as a journeyman playmaker, coaching has always come as second nature to Slot. And his rapid rise to stardom via AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord is just the start, according to Jakko.
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“He is doing everything I always expected and even more. Arne was never the quickest player in his professional career, but he was by far the brightest. He has become a famous manager in Europe and can’t walk anywhere in the Netherlands without people stopping him for a photo.
“In fact, they stop me too because we look alike, they think I’m Arne. It happens more and more. It’s quite funny. I am so proud of Arne. What he is achieving is fantastic and yes, he’s become a great manager in football. But for me, what makes me more proud than anything else, is his personality. How he has developed as a person in every way.’’
Those who know him best say, like Klopp, Slot has bags of charisma and is a great entertainer in press conferences with a better command of English than many Dutch bosses. His motivational team talks to his Feyenoord stars have endeared him to players.
Jurgen Klopp during his final trip to West Ham as Liverpool managerAnd they’re always delivered in English after making it the standard language in the dressing room from his first day at Feyenoord. Even as a player, former PEC Zwolle team-mate Bram van Polen knew Slot would excel at coaching.
“Everyone in the team knew Arne’s knowledge of the game, vision on tactical matters. His quick brain when it came to adapting in games was outstanding. He was a slow player in our team, so it’s amazing that the teams he’s coached since are the fastest teams in Dutch football. The intensity and high energy of his teams is incredible.”
Diederik Boer, PEC Zwolle keeper in Slot’s playing days, gave another insight into his coaching mindset saying: “As soon as he hung up his boots, I saw him walk around the club with his laptop under his arm..
“People would run the other way when he walked in” joked Boer “otherwise they’d have to listen to all his ideas again for half an hour on how we should be playing. I could see he was obsessed with coaching. But he was brilliant with his ideas. I knew he was good, but nobody expected him to shoot to this high level so quickly.”
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