Arne Slot faces losing six Liverpool players before his first match in charge as manager
Arne Slot could be faced with a selection headache ahead of his first match in charge of Liverpool.
Marcus Chan
Arne Slot could be faced with the prospect of losing six players ahead of his first match as Liverpool’s head coach.
This week, it was officially confirmed that Dutchman Slot had taken over from Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool’s new boss.
A statement from the club’s official website read: “Slot will begin work with the squad when pre-season gets underway in July, with a three-game trip to the USA as part of the preparations for 2024-25.
“Details of his official unveiling as the club’s head coach will be confirmed via Liverpoolfc.com in due course.”
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Looking forward to his first match in charge, Slot could find himself without as many as six players.
Ahead of the summer transfer window, Liverpool stars Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg and Joe Gomez have all been linked with a move away from Anfield.
Irishman Kelleher has already declared that he is ready to become a number-one goalkeeper.
He told The Athletic: “Whether it’s here at Liverpool or somewhere else, I do feel the next step for me is to be a No.1.”
Meanwhile, young Dutch defender Van den Berg has hinted at his desire to leave Liverpool in search of regular football.
Fellow defender Gomez, who is currently on international duty with England ahead of Euro 2024, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Liverpool are expecting to receive offers for Gomez from Saudi Arabian clubs this summer.
In addition to the above-mentioned potential departures, Slot’s first pre-season in charge could be hampered by the upcoming Olympic games in Paris.
Japan, Spain and Egypt are all set to take part in the tournament and that could have a big impact on Liverpool.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic could be selected to take part by their respective countries.
However, Liverpool will have the power to block their players from going, just like Chelsea and Arsenal did to the likes of Malo Gusto and William Saliba.