Cody Gakpo backs new Liverpool boss Arne Slot to keep faith with winning style

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo feels Arne Slot’s footballing philosophy makes him an ideal successor to Jurgen Klopp.

Dutchman Slot officially began his Anfield tenure on Saturday following the departure of long-serving manager Klopp.

Reds forward Gakpo, formerly of PSV Eindhoven, played against his compatriot’s AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord sides during his days in the Eredivisie.

Asked whether Slot’s style will be transferrable, Gakpo told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf: “I think so, otherwise the club wouldn’t have appointed him.

“If you talk about neat football and high pressure, with the latter being a very big characteristic of us under Jurgen Klopp, then that is also something we are certainly used to.”

Slot signed a three-year contract to become the Premier League club’s first head coach, rather than manager.

He arrives on Merseyside having led Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title, Dutch Cup glory and the 2022 Europa Conference League final during his three-year stay in Rotterdam.

The 45-year-old spent the previous season with AZ, finishing second below Ajax on goal difference in a campaign cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I have not spoken to him before… (but) I do know that he has always made it very difficult for us at PSV and is known as a very good trainer, of course,” said Netherlands international Gakpo.