Feyenoord coach Arne Slot says he will be the Liverpool manager next season

Feyenoord coach Arne Slot confirmed one of soccer’s worst-kept secrets: He is the next Liverpool manager.

Slot has previously gone public about his negotiations with Liverpool, although the English club hasn’t officially commented on his impending arrival as the replacement for Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool still hasn’t.

Slot has, though.

“I can confirm that I will be the coach at Liverpool next season,” said Slot, speaking at a news conference on Friday ahead of Feyenoord’s final game of the Dutch season on Sunday against Excelsior.

According to Feyenoord, Slot said an official announcement from both clubs will follow “in the short term.”

Liverpool had already reportedly agreed to pay Feyenoord about 11 million euros ($11.7 million) in compensation for the 45-year-old Slot. He has coached Feyenoord since 2021, winning the league last year and the Dutch Cup this season.

Slot said his immediate focus was finishing his time at Feyenoord with a victory this week.

“If we win, we will have 84 points and we will be the second best team in Feyenoord’s club history,” he said in quotes carried on the Feyenoord website. “This group has shown throughout the year that they hate losing. That’s what I expect on Sunday.”

On the same day, Klopp bids farewell to Liverpool after nine years in charge in a home match against Wolverhampton.

Klopp said last month that Slot would be taking over the “best job in the world” if he is appointed by Liverpool.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer