“I briefly wondered whether I liked that” - Jurgen Klopp cracks joke as he expresses feelings about Arne Slot’s Liverpool success 

Jurgen Klopp has joked that he is not happy with how little time Arne Slot has taken to settle at Liverpool. On a serious note, the German was delighted to see his former side win the Premier League title last season and revealed that some of the players are still in touch with him.

Speaking to Welt, Klopp added that the Liverpool owners have also become good friends of his and that he exchanges texts with Slot occasionally. The 58-year-old said:

"The contact is very good – some players write now and then or send a holiday photo. The owners have become good friends. I've also messaged with Arne from time to time – we've only met once in person. He appreciated the gesture. And honestly: when things started going so well under him, I briefly wondered whether I liked that. (laughs) Yeah, it's great – it makes me happy."

Arne Slot won the Premier League title in his first season at Anfield and took his side to the Carabao Cup final. The Reds were backed for the quadruple in January, but crashed out of the FA Cup (fourth round) and UEFA Champions League (Round of 16).

"It wasn't an obvious first choice" - Liverpool chairman on Arne Slot's appointment

Liverpool chairman Tom Werner has revelaed that Arne Slot was not an obvious first choice to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool. Werner admitted that the appointment of the Dutchman was largely down to the club's chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, and the sporting director, Richard Hughes. The American told the The Times this week:

"I don't want to diminish some of our early mistakes, but identifying Jurgen Klopp as our next manager [in 2015] was transformational. And then Jurgen had the opportunity to work with Michael Edwards [chief executive of football]. So when he stepped aside - and we were disappointed, obviously, but understood because it's such a grueling job — we had all the confidence in the world that Jurgen's decision would be the right one for him and eventually the club as well."

"Arne Slot was their first choice, and it really came from the homework of Richard Hughes [sporting director] and Michael. It wasn't an obvious first choice. But if you surround yourself with good talent, you'll be successful."

The Athletic reported that the Reds had 10 names on their shortlist when they began their search for a manager in early 2024. Roberto De Zerbi, Ruben Amorim, and Simone Inzaghi were among the candidates being considered.