Liverpool keen on ‘Arne Slot favourite’ who could be Wijnaldum 2.0

Arne Slot has left Feyenoord to take charge at Liverpool next season, for what will be the first time he has managed outside of The Netherlands.

He leaves the Dutch side with a very respectable record, when taking both trophies and results into consideration and it is an exciting appointment as Liverpool take their first steps into the post-Klopp era.

In three seasons as manager of the Rotterdam club, Slot brought them an Eredivisie title in his second season at the club. Not only that, he helped his side to a third-place and second-place finish in his first and last season respectively. He also won the Dutch Cup in his most recent, and final, season in charge.

His record as Feyenoord boss is exemplary. In 148 games as manager, Slot won a total of 97, recording 27 draws in that time, and suffering just 24 defeats. His team scored plenty of goals too, 346 to be exact, and conceded just 156 times during his tenure.

As the Dutchman prepares to make the move to Anfield, there is a strong rumour circulating that he will look to bring one of his star men from Feyenoord with him, a player who was pivotal to the success Slot achieved in Rotterdam.

Liverpool target Feyenoord defender

The player in question here is Feynoord’s versatile Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida, who has been a key player for Slot during his tenure at Feyenoord. Now, as the summer transfer window draws near, it is thought that Geertruida could be a target for Liverpool.

At least, that is according to Dutch news outlet De Telegraaf. It’s suggested that the Reds have joined the competition to sign Geertruida this summer, although they could face North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham in the race to sign the 23-year-old.

This is the second consecutive summer that the versatile defender has been wanted by a top club in Europe’s major leagues. According to reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Geertruida was wanted by German outfit RB Leipzig last year, and a deal had been all but sealed. However, German outlet Bild broke the news that Leipzig cancelled the deal because the clubs could not agree on a price.

The fee Liverpool would have to pay for Geertruida is currently not clear. However, he has just 12 months left on his current contract, and it could be less than the £25.2m plus £1.6m add-ons Leipzig offered last season, and certainly less than the £30m Feyenoord wanted.

How Geertruida compares to Georginio Wijnaldum

Football analyst Ben Mattinson noted just how crucial Geertruida was under Slot, describing him as a “pivotal player”, with one Dutch journalist describing him as “Arne Slot’s favourite” in an interview with The Anfield Wrap.

Indeed, his importance was reflected in the amount of games he played last season. Geertruida featured 34 times in the Eredivisie, chipping in with eight strikes and five assists. Whilst he featured mainly from right-back, 35 times to be exact, he also played nine times at centre-back and three times at left-back, emphasising why Mattinson called him “so versatile”.

There is something of a similarity between Geertruida’s move to the Premier League, with that of iconic midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

The former Liverpool midfielder also began life in the Feyenoord academy, where he won the Dutch Cup as a first-team player in 2007/08. He played 135 games for the Rotterdam club, scoring 25 goals and notching up 11 assists.

Wijnaldum left Feynoord in 2011 after several successful years, to join PSV and then for the Premier League with Newcastle, before signing for Liverpool, and later PSG. This is somewhat similar to Geertruida, who also won silverware at Feyenoord, specifically four trophies, including two under Slot, the cup and the league.

Wijnaldum’s move to the Premier League sparked great success for him and thus, Liverpool will hope the same rings true for their latest Dutch target. The midfielder spent one successful season at St James’ Park in 2015/16, scoring 11 goals and registering five assists in 38 Premier League games. He got a big move to Liverpool off the back of that and never looked back.

In 237 games for the Merseyside club, Wijnaldum scored 22 times and assisted 16. However, it was the trophies he helped to win, which left such an impact on the club. He won four titles as a Liverpool player, including the club’s first Premier League, before moving to Paris and helping PSG win Ligue 1 in 2021/22.

There is no doubt that Geertruida will be hoping to become a serial winner at Liverpool, just as Wijnaldum was. Should the deal go through, he will be hoping to replicate the success of the past at Anfield and bring the likes of a Premier League back to the club.

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