Liverpool managed to become Premier League Champions in Arne Slot’s first season in charge of the club.
The Anfield outfit were expected to slow down and not have much of an impact on the way things panned out in the league this season, but instead, they stepped things up a gear or two and got straight to work.
Players such as Ryan Gravenberch have had their best seasons ever and have proven that they deserve to be representing Liverpool week in and week out.
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Indeed, hardly anyone predicted the Anfield outfit to be as dominant as they have been this term, that is, except for Richard Hughes.
Richard Hughes knew that Arne Slot would get the best out of the Liverpool players
Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the 2023-24 season hit every Liverpool fan like a ton of bricks.
Many expected the German to at least see out the remainder of his contract, but in the end, it all got too much for him.
Upon Klopp’s departure, many predicted that Liverpool would struggle without him at the helm, but instead, it’s panned out completely differently.
Speaking in Slot’s first press conference back in July 2024, Hughes said the following about the Dutchman.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
“That philosophy, that playing style that attracted us to Arne, is based on subjective footballing opinion and data as well, as you’d expect. In all the metrics, Arne’s Feyenoord team came out really well,” he said.
“The way they played with real front-foot, attacking football, played with intelligence, played with passion, and I think those are all attributes that we would welcome here at Liverpool. I think they lend really well with the current squad that we have, our supporters and the football club as a whole.”
Arne Slot will have a plan to retain the Premier League title next season
Slot wasn’t given much of a chance to improve his ranks last summer with the transfer of Martin Zubimendi falling through.
Indeed, the Reds could have looked at other targets, but it was made abundantly clear that the only player Slot wanted to improve his ranks was the Spaniard.
However, even though at the time it felt like a massive blow, the fact that Gravenberch has now developed into one of the best defensive midfielders in the league outlines how strong Slot’s coaching skills are.
The 2025-26 summer window is shaping up rather differently with Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez all nearing the completion of their Anfield switches.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
And, although this is the opposite of how things went last term, the fact that Slot is getting almost all of his required targets certainly bodes well for the future.
Only time will tell what the future holds, but based on the 2024-25 season alone, the Dutchman will more than likely have a plan to retain the title next term.