Next Liverpool manager: Five players Arne Slot could target from Feyenoord

Arne Slot has shot up the shortlist to become the next Liverpool manager and the Feyenoord coach has several players at his disposal who could be useful for the Reds to target too.

Since Jurgen Klopp announced his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, there have been two leading candidates to take the job. First, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso was backed for a return to the club he used to play for. Then, Ruben Amorim moved into pole position when Alonso decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

As TEAMtalk has explained, Amorim is waiting to make the right next step in his career. Also linked with West Ham and Manchester United, the Sporting boss is no longer considered the top candidate for Liverpool.

The third person to have taken the lead in Liverpool’s managerial search seems to be Slot. After leading Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title last season and snubbing a move to Tottenham, he has another chance to end up in the Premier League this year.

Talks between Liverpool and Slot have already taken place and the signs have been promising so far. Therefore, there are strong chances that Liverpool could start to plan more seriously for a future with him at the helm.

In case Slot does arrive at Anfield, we’ve picked five players from his current Feyenoord squad who could become targets for Liverpool to consider.

David Hancko

Perhaps the most obvious player for Liverpool to think about from Feyenoord would be David Hancko, who as a left-footed centre-back could fill a major gap in their squad.

Indeed, TEAMtalk’s Ben Mattinson even highlighted Hancko as someone who’d have been ideal for Amorim’s Liverpool too!

Liverpool do not have anyone like Hancko at their disposal yet. Captain Virgil van Dijk usually occupies the left-sided centre-back role for Klopp, despite being right-footed.

As a fellow Dutchman, Slot would surely want to rely on Van Dijk as a key pillar of his potential Liverpool project. How he would envisage getting the best out of him remains to be seen, since Van Dijk has been largely comfortable as the left-sided centre-back for Liverpool throughout his spell with the club.

But if Slot wanted to ensure he had a natural left-footer among his central defensive ranks too, he could look to sign Hancko for a second time after previously bringing him to Feyenoord in 2022 from Sparta Prague.

Since the defender’s arrival in Rotterdam, no Feyenoord player has been given more appearances by Slot than Hancko (89). He has not missed a minute of their Eredivisie title defence this season.

Another benefit to Hancko’s game that suggests he could complement Van Dijk is the fact that he can play as a left-back. Although that hasn’t really happened this season, it isn’t impossible to imagine him becoming a rotation option for Andy Robertson too.

Feyenoord have Hancko under contract until 2028, though, which is the joint-longest commitment they have to any of their players and indicates they would have a strong negotiating stance.

However, Liverpool’s power could be too strong to resist. Even before Klopp’s exit was announced, Hancko’s agent revealed the Reds were interested.

“As an agency, we are in contact not only with these two clubs (Liverpool and PSG), but also with others who are looking into David’s situation,” Branislav Jasurek of FairSports Agency told TN in January, while Hancko himself claimed to feel elements of Van Dijk’s game in his own style.

“I love Virgil van Dijk,” Hancko told Voetbal International.

“For me, before the World Cup in Qatar, he was the best defender in the world. There was no player who could go past him.

“I don’t want to compare myself with Virgil, but that invincible feeling he exudes was something I felt last season very strongly.”

Lutsharel Geeirtruda

In a similar sense to how Slot would have to decide where he thinks Liverpool’s captain would be best placed, a verdict would also have to be made on the role of their vice-captain, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Despite coming through Liverpool’s academy as a midfielder, Klopp has almost always utilised Alexander-Arnold as a right-back. He’s been a pretty good one, too, contributing bundles of assists thanks to his crossing ability.

In recent times, Alexander-Arnold has started to occupy more central positions within a hybrid full-back/midfield role. It will be fascinating to see how Liverpool’s next manager – Slot or otherwise – would use the England international tactically.

If Alexander-Arnold is permanently converted back into a midfielder, Liverpool would need to sign a new right-back to act as the first choice ahead of the promising Conor Bradley.

Theoretically, the man to take over from Liverpool’s vice-captain at right-back could be Feyenoord’s vice-captain under Slot: Lutsharel Geeirtruda.

Like Alexander-Arnold, Geeirtruda can also operate in midfield. Unlike Liverpool’s no.66, he can even cover as a centre-half. But right-back is his most regular position.

The 23-year-old has started all 30 of Feyenoord’s league games so far this season. By the end of it, though, there will only be one year remaining on his contract, which could make Feyenoord vulnerable to losing him.

Interestingly, Dirk Kuyt – a former player for both Liverpool and Feyenoord – recently backed Geeitruda to follow in his footsteps by trading De Kuip for Anfield.

“As far as Feyenoord are concerned, there’s Geertruida – he’s just like me back in the day!” Kuyt said in September. “He’s a very talented player, and I think he’ll definitely make the step to a big team in Europe next season.

“Hopefully Liverpool will look at him as he can play several positions – right-back, right centre-back, number six.”

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Quinten Timber

If Liverpool are looking for a more settled midfielder to add to their squad after starting to overhaul the position last summer, there are two standout options from Feyenoord they could consider.

First, Quinten Timber is someone they are said to have scouted already, irrespective of their interest in Slot.

Twin brother of Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber, the Dutchman joined Feyenoord in 2022, going on to win the Eredivisie title in his debut season.

In March 2024, Quinten Timber earned his first senior cap for the Netherlands national team, showing how he is continuing to progress.

Under contract in Rotterdam until 2026, Timber might not need to be thinking about his next step immediately, but he has got two solid seasons under his belt with Feyenoord now after previous stints with Ajax’s reserves and Utrecht.

At the age of 22, Timber has the potential to develop even further, so Liverpool will face competition for his signature if they are interested. Could the presence of Slot give them an advantage, though?

In February, Slot backed Timber to follow in the footsteps of his brother by ending up at a club competing towards the top of the Premier League table.

“If he continues to develop as he has this year, then his ceiling is extremely high because he has undergone great development over the past year. He is a special player,” the 50-year-old affirmed to Ziggo Sport.

“He has the strength and speed to create an overload in midfield. I think he has a very good mentality and is a good lad. (Quinten and Jurrien) are both very, very good. I don’t think it is ruled out that Quinten could also go to a club of (Arsenal’s) calibre.”

Quinten Timber is a versatile midfielder who normally plays as a no.8 for Slot, but can advance into a no.10 role or even sit in front of the defence if needed.

If Slot thinks he’s good enough for a club like Arsenal – one of Liverpool’s rivals for the Premier League title this season – then he’d surely believe he could be worth Liverpool looking at.

Mats Wieffer

The question is whether or not Liverpool need another no.8 after investing in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch last summer, while also retaining the likes of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott.

Perhaps the item left on the agenda of their midfield rebuild is in the holding role, where Wataru Endo has made a good impression despite being seen as a relatively short-term solution at the age of 31.

Liverpool do have a long-term defensive midfield prospect in the shape of Stefan Bajcetic, who has been injured for most of Klopp’s final season, but if they want someone closer to their prime, perhaps they could take a glance at Mats Wieffer.

Like Timber, the 24-year-old joined Feyenoord in 2022 as part of their own midfield revamp. He was plucked from the Dutch second tier, in which he had been playing for Excelsior.

Wieffer has coped well with the step up, becoming one of Feyenoord’s most influential players – even more so since the summer exit of former skipper Orkun Kokcu to Benfica – and a full Netherlands international. He scored in the Europa League quarter-final against Roma last season, despite his side’s eventual elimination, and in the Champions League group stage (which they also dropped out of) against Atletico Madrid this season.

When available, Wieffer is indispensable for Slot. The only Eredivisie game he hasn’t started this season was when he was ill. Of the 29 others he has played in, he has only been taken off in one.

Good at getting around the pitch, Wieffer could make his presence felt in Liverpool’s midfield too if they deemed him an appropriate target.

Santiago Gimenez

Finally, it’s going to be a big summer for Liverpool’s attack. The main focus is on whether or not Mohamed Salah will stay as the final year of his contract approaches and Saudi suitors press for his capture.

If Liverpool lose Salah, it would present them with a dilemma. They would be losing their main source of goals, but not someone who is naturally a centre-forward. It makes him such a difficult player to replace, irrespective of his incredible legacy on Merseyside.

The main centre-forward Liverpool have currently is the at times inspirational, at times erratic, Darwin Nunez. He is a player their next manager will have to pass judgement on and determine whether or not another finisher is needed.

Slot currently has one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe at his disposal. Mexico international Santiago Gimenez has been a big hit since signing for Feyenoord in 2022, scoring 23 goals in his debut season and already bettering that tally this term.

He has certainly been more sharp in front of goal than Nunez, even though there would be some tougher goalkeepers to face in the Premier League.

Signing Gimenez would cost a similar amount to what Liverpool spent on Nunez, so is something they would have to think very carefully about and is maybe one of the less likely suggestions here.

However, once again, Slot’s presence could be a factor that makes Liverpool more attractive in a wide-ranging race for the player’s services.

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