Arne Slot’s first Liverpool signing should be €60m Netherlands star

Milan Keskin

• Updated: 26 Apr 2024 14:09 BST
• 4 min read

Arne Slot appears destined to become the new manager of Liverpool and one of his first moves at his new club should be advised to strike a deal to bring one of his countrymen to Merseyside with him.

The current head coach of Feyenoord is approaching an agreement with the Premier League club, while the Eredivisie giants and Liverpool are still negotiating over his release.

The Gazzetta dello Sport states that Slot's arrival at Anfield could lead to Teun Koopmeiners choosing Liverpool in the transfer window ahead of Juventus or even Arsenal.

READ MORE: Liverpool prepare mega salary for Arne Slot

Current ETV

Teun Koopmeiners

DM (RL), AM (C)

Atalanta

Teun Koopmeiners

DM (RL), AM (C)

Atalanta

€35.9M

ETV Range

€26.9M - €44.9M

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Koopmeiners is wanted by several top clubs in Europe and the Liverpool Echo has previously reported that he would be “willing to put up with the rain” to sign on with a Premier League team.

The Atalanta midfielder is once again having an excellent year in Italy and seemed to be on his way to a transfer within Serie A. The midfielder is said to be in talks with Juventus about a possible deal, but negotiations appear to have been at a standstill for some time now.

Koopmeiners would like to earn around €4.5 million per year at Juve but the Turin side have not been willing to match that demand yet.

READ MORE: Who is Arne Slot? The Liverpool-bound coach who made Feyenoord great again

If those negotiations break down, Liverpool could be an excellent alternative.

Slot’s arrival could be a trump card. The Reds believe the 26-year-old would pick them should his compatriot join the club.

It could be a happy marriage for all parties.

Koopmeiners ideal for Liverpool’s Slot era

Slot likes to play an attack-minded 4-2-3-1 formation, and without an attacking midfielder suitable of featuring in this system, the coach could turn towards Koopmeiners to lead the attack from this area. Boasting 14 goals and five assists in all competitions this season, he has productivity unmatched by any current Liverpool midfielder.

Data analytics experts SciSports certainly hint that there is scope for such a deal.

Using its Career Advice tool, SciSports show Liverpool rate just one star in terms of playing time and formation. But this is under Klopp. The situation would undoubtedly change if Slot were to arrive at the club.

For a start, the system is likely to be tweaked into something more suited to the Netherlands star, which would in turn offer him more opportunities to play.

Liverpool are otherwise well suited to a player who is rated at €60m by his club. They offer him opportunities for development and, crucially, an attack-minded playing style that is a prerequisite of Slot arriving at the club.

So not only are the Reds interested in Koopmeiners, they are also ideally suited to give him the conditions to shine.