I keep thinking back to when Arne Slot came to see us for a day back in 2023 following Jesse Marsch’s dismissal and what actually went wrong.
He was definitely someone who I wanted to see at the helm, after winning the title with Feyenoord and I remember a couple of reports at the time that the negative reaction from our fans was one of the main reasons why he turned us down.
Now, I don’t think there is an official line as to why he turned us down, but there seemed a certain amount of animosity towards the prospect of him joining us and that (I’m sure), was a small minority of our fans were against the appointment.
Arne Slot now 2/5 odds to be the next Leeds United manager,
Will it be announced tonight?#lufc #mot pic.twitter.com/TrfiWdrOWk
— 𝘿𝙖𝙣 (@DanJames1006) February 7, 2023
Oh, how hindsight is a beautiful thing! When Liverpool hired him to replace Jurgen Klopp, I for one, thought he would be a decent hire. Obviously, I didn’t expect him to steer Liverpool into first place and look like title contenders from as early as November, but I certainly thought that he would achieve a top four finish.
How Could Slot Have Changed Our Fortunes?
Wow, how I remember the 2023/24 season. The Marsch experiment failed, an underwhelming appointment in the shape of Javi Gracia, who lasted 10 weeks and then the frankly last-ditch hire of Sam Allardyce, who for even his talents was tasked with what I thought was an impossible job, given the circumstances.
Based on Slot’s record at Feyenoord – while I doubt he would have pulled up any trees during the second half of the season (especially with only a few days of January transfer window remaining), I do think he would have done enough to keep us up.
If this had happened, I believe we could be looking at a completely different picture right now – possibly even making the type of progress that Aston Villa have over the last couple of years.
While he hasn’t really done anything in the transfer window at Liverpool, his talents when it comes to man-management have proven obvious, guiding them to within a whisker of the club’s second Premier League trophy in five years.
If he had come in when Marsch left, it could be that he might have been able to get the best out of what was a demoralised and demotivated squad of players.
What Could His Recruitment Strategy Have Been?
Had he come in and guided us to safety, it would have been a very interesting summer, given the way that his teams play football. At Liverpool he has tweaked Klopp’s system and style of play slightly, though still plays attractive, attacking football based on a solid defence.
The connections he has in the Netherlands could have been put to good use for us and we certainly could be looking at a completely different Leeds side today.
He seems to like strong, energetic central midfielders who are comfortable on the ball and can pick a pass – he has definitely got the best out of Ryan Gravenberch this season who has become arguably, the best number six in the Premier League and even possibly, Europe.
There’s no doubt we’re crying out for this kind of player – or at least an upgrade on what we already have, despite some good performances this season from our midfielders.
So, it could definitely have been interesting had Slot taken the job with us and I can’t help but think, what might have been.
