Arne Slot is busy in his first pre-season as Liverpool boss and it has emerged the new man in the Anfield dugout is preparing to change the roles of one of Jurgen Klopp’s last signings to get the best out of him.
Slot has signed a three-year contract with the Anfield club, transferring from Dutch team Feyenoord.
The Dutchman takes over from the legendary Klopp, who stepped down from his role at Liverpool this summer after almost ten years. During Klopp’s tenure, he secured the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup, establishing Liverpool as a formidable rival to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Liverpool, like many other Premier League teams, has traveled to the USA for a series of pre-season matches.
Under Slot’s leadership, they secured their first win with a 1-0 triumph over Real Betis in Pittsburgh, thanks to a first-half goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.
The Reds will play two more friendlies in the US against Arsenal and Manchester United, followed by their final pre-season match at Anfield against Sevilla on August 11, ahead of the new Premier League season.
Szoboszlai was one of Klopp’s final signings at Liverpool, joining from RB Leipzig last summer after the club activated his €70 million release clause. The Hungarian midfielder had a relatively successful first season, netting seven goals in 45 appearances across all competitions.
According to The Times, Slot seems poised to alter Szoboszlai’s role in the Liverpool midfield to maximize his potential. The report suggests that, despite earlier indications that Szoboszlai might be positioned further back to address the No.6 role, Slot may have found a different approach to fully utilize Liverpool’s fourth-most-expensive signing.
Liverpool have not made any new signings this summer while Slot evaluates his current squad. It will be intriguing to see how Szoboszlai is positioned in the team going forward.
