Graeme Souness has explained who he thinks Arne Slot should look to win over at Liverpool as soon as he takes over.
Arne Slot is not going to have an easy time at Liverpool. Replacing Jurgen Klopp will be a gargantuan task.
On top of that, he will be coming in at a time of transition in the playing squad. A transition which started last summer, but which will continue this summer as well.
With Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes in charge, the club is expected to make a few changes. There will be new arrivals coming through the doors of the AXA training centre, and there will be some departures as well.
Graeme Souness on why Arne Slot needs to win over Virgil van Dijk
Balancing everything, it’s important that Slot gets everyone in the Liverpool squad on board with his ideas and philosophy very quickly.
Most importantly, according to Graeme Souness, he will need to win over the Liverpool captain, Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking on the Up Front podcast, Souness explained why winning Van Dijk over was going to be a very important task for Slot.
“He will know everything about Slot, being Dutch himself,” Souness said. “Thinking about it he is the one he must get on side. Slot must get Van Dijk on side.”
Why Virgil van Dijk could be Slot’s ally in the Liverpool squad
Just as Van Dijk will know everything about Slot according to Souness, Slot will know everything about Van Dijk.
Especially because his right-hand man at Feyenoord, his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff,is also the assistant manager of the Netherlands national team.
He will have worked with Van Dijk on the training ground already and will know the other Dutch players as well in the squad such as Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Given that connection, Van Dijk could become Slot’s biggest ally in the squad, and someone who should be easy to win over.