Why Arne Slot was sacked in his managerial career ahead of becoming Liverpool boss

The due diligence on Arne Slot has been afoot for the past couple of weeks.

Ever since if emerged that the Dutchman was the frontrunner to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, research on Slot would have started by fans.

Kopites scarcely needing bringing up to speed with Xabi Alonso. They knew all about his playing career. He spent five of his years at Anfield and was part of the 2005 Champions League-winning side - scoring in the miraculous victory over AC Milan in Istanbul. What's more, the wonders that Alonso has worked in his first managerial job at Bayer Leverkusen have been lauded.

But Slot is unheralded. He didn't have a stellar playing career - far from it. And as a coach, he's been in Holland for the duration. To his credit, the job he's carried out at Feyenoord has been enough to convince Fenway Sports Group's CEO of football Michael Edwards and incoming sporting director Richard Hughes that it's enough for Slot to be identified as the right candidate to fill Klopp's gargantuan void. They are well aware there's no-one like Klopp. But recruiting someone who can ensure the transition is as seamless as possible is paramount.

It's not just Edwards and Hughes who are Slot admirers. Last summer, the 45-year-old was on Tottenham Hotspur's radar while Chelsea reportedly discussed the idea of Slot ahead of appointing Mauricio Pochettino.

In terms of his time at Feyenoord, Slot's carried out a sterling job. He inherited a team that had finished fifth in the Eredivisie. In his maiden campaign, he guided Feyenoord to the inaugural Europa Conference League final, only to be beaten by Jose Mourinho's AS Roma. The following campaign Feyenoord were crowned Dutch champions for the first time in six years. Then this term, the Rotterdam-based outfit claimed the KNVB Cup. All of this while working with a modest budget and playing an attractive brand of football. In truth, there isn't too much that Slot could have done.

Slot earned his switch to Feyenoord after impressing at AZ Alkmaar - his first role in the top job. He was appointed in the summer of 2019 as he stepped up after serving as assistant to John van den Brom and swiftly made his mark. Alkmaar picked up 19 points in their opening eight league games - a record for the club. They were well and truly battling Ajax for the Eredivisie title, both level on 56 points when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. It did not resume so no team was crowned champions, although Alkmaar were assigned second spot only on goal difference.

His work at De Kaasboeren resulted in admiring glances from Feyenoord. And as a result, it ended up with Alkmaar yielding the axe on Slot in December 2020. They felt that negotiations with Feyenoord had caused a distraction. “As a club, we have chosen to say goodbye immediately,” said director of football Max Huiberts. “We want to have a head coach leading the team who is fully focused on AZ.”

It was no doubt a decision that sent shockwaves around Dutch football. It wasn’t a typical parting of ways. Alkmaar may have been struggling compared to the previous campaign but he had credit in the bank and his removal would have been deemed unexpected. Most would have believed Slot was to stay as boss for the rest of the season, hoping to oversee Alkmaar qualify for Europe.

Yet what it provided Slot was more time to prepare for Feyenoord - a step up in terms of stature and expectation. He’s delivered success at De Kuip and being removed from his post may well have made him a better coach for the long term.