Liverpool next manager: Jose Mourinho has already given Arne Slot verdict after being 'disrespected'

The appearance of Jose Mourinho in the Craven Cottage stands got tongues wagging and caused the debate to rage.

The sight of the former Chelsea and Real Madrid supremo watching Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Fulham amid their managerial search made the unthinkable contemplated - even if it was for a nanosecond.

Indeed, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes won’t be considering the Reds’ previous great antagonist. Everything that’s been suggested about the candidate who will fill the vast void of Jurgen Klopp must have a mantra of attacking football. For all of Mourinho’s achievements - and they should be given the utmost credit - a style easy on the eye is something to the contrary.

But Arne Slot, the new frontrunner to succeed Klopp, is a manager whose teams play on the front foot with his philosophy to take the game to the opposition. Slot has been in charge of Feyenoord for the past three years and delivered success on a modest budget. The Dutch title was yielded last season, while they were crowned KNVB Cup winners last weekend.

Slot’s name might be somewhat leftfield. But his Feyenoord feats have not been underappreciated. Despite being in a less-heralded division, he’s had his admirers in the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspur were keen on Slot last summer before he committed his future to the Rotterdam outfit. Chelsea and Leeds United have also reportedly shown interest.

Evidently, it shows that Slot is well-regarded. And what might make Kopites smile is that the 45-year-old has previously had a tense exchange with Mourinho. The pair first met in the inaugural Europa Conference League final in 2022, with Mourinho’s AS Roma earning a 1-0 triumph over Feyenoord to claim the silverware.

They then came face-to-face in last season’s Europa League quarter-finals and tensions were flared. In the build-up, Slot admitted he was not a fan of Mourinho’s style and preferred watching Italian rivals Napoli along with Manchester City. Feyenoord won the first leg 1-0, which led to a hostile return clash in Rome. Mourinho displayed all of his nous and experience to deliver a 4-1 victory after extra-time and dumped the Dutch outfit out of the competition.

After the full-time whistle, Mourinho was clearly rubbed up the wrong way by Slot’s comments and screaming in the tunnel after Roma’s triumph: “ You look at Napoli and Manchester City, but you should be watching us!”

And while Mourinho admitted he felt disrespected, he admitted Slot is an ‘excellent coach’.

“We never give up,” Mourinho told Roma TV (via romapress.net). “I told the lads that I felt today might not be like Bodo or Salzburg where we scored straight away. They were good enough to stay calm and take the game step by step.”

“The players on the bench were mentally prepared and in a way we played with more than 11 players on the pitch. The referee was of a very high level, we faced a quality opponent with an excellent coach, even if he disrespected us long enough.”