Arne Slot dealt major blow with key man blocked from joining him at Liverpool

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been dealt a major blow with one of his coaches blocked from joining him at Anfield.

The Dutch manager officially joined the Reds from Eredivisie side Feyenoord at the start of this month replacing outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp.

Slot spent three seasons at the Rotterdam-based outfit and and led them to the league title in 2023 and KNVB Cup last season.

He's widely regarded as one of the most promising coaches in football, and although he wasn't Liverpool's first choice - with Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso thought be their initial No 1 target - supporters are definitely backing him.

There are some big decisions to make this summer in terms of players, but just a couple of weeks into his tenure Slot has been faced with a huge issue with his coaching staff.

As per This Is Anfield, Feyenoord coach Etienne Reijnen does not expect to be able to join his former boss on Merseyside due to work permit issues.

Slot had hoped to bring him to Anfield alongside his other assistant coach Sipke Hulshoff after both played a big part in Feyenoord's success.

However, reports last week suggested that Reijnen had failed to secure a UK work permit which is a requirement since Brexit.

Arne Slot has been appointed Liverpool's new head coach (Image: Getty)

It means Slot needs to quickly find someone else to fill the gap on Liverpool's bench. The 45-year-old is still without key members of staff which isn't ideal at this stage of the season.

There's already a lot of pressure on him to perform well in his first season at the club, with Champions League qualification seen as the minimum requirement.

Whatever he achieves, it will be difficult to match Klopp and fans will have to potentially accept a period of transition.

The club are expected to be very busy in the transfer market with several outgoings as well as new faces likely.