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Four times European Cup winners Ajax ‘absolutely have to make an attempt’ for former Liverpool boss Arne Slot, Dutch journalist Maarten Wijffels has insisted.
Liverpool endured a difficult season under Slot, losing the backing of a section of the fans despite delivering the Premier League title and the Reds decided to part ways with the Dutch manager on Saturday.
Following the departure of Slot, ex-Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has become the top candidate to take charge of Liverpool next season, with talks expected to pick up pace.
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Iraola is not everyone’s choice though and former United States international Charlie Davies advised Liverpool to go for Unai Emery, who helped Aston Villa secure Champions League football and finish above Liverpool in the Premier League.
Despite a difficult campaign, Slot remains a highly sought-after manager for clubs across Europe and has been linked with Serie A giants AC Milan.
Wijffels insisted that Jordi Cruijff and Ajax ‘absolutely have to make an attempt’ to bring Slot back to the Eredivisie as it ‘would be crazy not to at least try’ to strike a deal.
The Dutch journalist labelled Slot as a ‘typical Ajax coach’ and also credited him for his decision to work at Feyenoord before making a move to Liverpool.
Manager Reign
Frank de Boer 2010-2016
Peter Bosz 2016-2017
Marcel Keizer 2017
Erik ten Haag 2017-2022
Alfred Schreuder 2022-2023
Maurice Steijn 2023
Francesco Farioli 2024-2025
John Heitinga 2025
Wijffels said on the Algemeen Dagblad podcast (via Voetbal Primeur): “From the perspective of Jordi Cruijff and Ajax alone, they really should call.
“They absolutely have to make an attempt, because you would be crazy not to at least try.
“Slot is also a typical Ajax coach.
“The fact that he went to Feyenoord was a very brave step.
“At that moment, it wasn’t at all logical to say: ‘I am going to make Feyenoord champions’.”
“It probably isn’t possible now, but via an intermediate step, he could very well end up at Ajax again.
“You shouldn’t rule that out.”
Slot delivered the Premier League title in his very first season at Liverpool last year, but a steady decline in performance this term saw them finish fifth in the table.
The Dutch manager’s future at the club looked uncertain during the latter stages of the season, but earlier this month, Slot insisted he had every reason to believe he would still be the Liverpool boss next season.
During his time at Anfield, Slot’s relationship with the fans deteriorated as his style of football was different from that of former manager Jurgen Klopp and also due to the Reds’ poor performances throughout the season, which resulted in no trophies.
It remains to be seen whether Slot will return to the Netherlands, where he has coached teams like Feyenoord, AZ Alkmaar and SC Cambuur.