Arne Slot to Liverpool could spark wave of Premier League appointments from across Europe

The end of the football season is nearly upon us, and it’s almost time for the latest coaching carousel which, this year, is likely to be started by Liverpool. The Reds have known for months that they need a new manager, with Jurgen Klopp walking away from his Anfield post after a hugely successful reign.

But finding a new manager worthy of replacing Klopp has been no easy task for Liverpool, especially after Bayer Leverkusen boss and former midfielder Xabi Alonso confirmed he would be staying put after winning Bundesliga against the odds. Feyenoord boss Arne Slot now looks to be the man of choice, with the Reds having opened talks with the Dutchman, who was a target for Manchester United ahead of their appointment of Erik ten Hag.

Slot has won a Dutch Cup with Feyenoord this season, while he has previously won a league title with the club. Slot will have big boots to fill, but he may well be the man charged with filling them.

Slot and Alonso are not the only managers making waves outside the Premier League, though, and there could be other clubs looking abroad to find their new manager. Manchester United could be back in the market with Ten Hag having struggled this season, overseeing the Red Devils’ big step back.

Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim has been linked with the Liverpool job, and he could be an option for United if they end up looking. Amorim is just 39 years of age, but he has Sporting playing attractive, attacking football at the top of the Portuguese top tier. Just a couple of years his senior, we have Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, who is making waves in Bundesliga.

Stuttgart are currently third in the German top tier, just five points behind Bayern Munich, and Hoeness is another who is being tipped to make the switch to the Premier League in the not too distant future. West Ham United have been linked amid uncertainty over David Moyes’ future.

Elsewhere on the continent, Athletic Club boss Ernesto Valverde is making a big comeback having previously walking into a furnace at Barcelona. Valverde won two league titles with Barca, but he probably wasn’t given enough credit for his work. These days, Valverde is back with Athletic Club, and he has them set for Champions League qualification. It would take a big job in England to get Valverde to turn his head, given his and Athletic Club’s current trajectory.

There are talented managers aplenty, but we will round off with Reims boss Will Still, who has been something of a viral sensation having admitted he learned many of his managerial skills through manager-style video games. Still has Reims set for a mid-table finish in Ligue 1 for a second straight season, and he has been linked with the Sunderland job. Still looks like he could land in the top-half of the Championship at some point, but it will be interesting to see who takes a chance on him given he has limited managerial experience despite his impressive efforts with Reims.