New Liverpool manager Arne Slot has no plans to sell Darwin Nunez and has reassured the Uruguayan striker that he is key to his plans for Anfield.
New Liverpool manager Arne Slot has made it clear to Darwin Nunez that he is an important component of his ambitions.
The Dutchman, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, was eager to convince the club’s expensive $107 million (£85 million/€98 million) 2022 signing that he will not be let go this summer; instead, he intends to make the Uruguayan striker the focal point of his Reds side. Liverpool earlier rejected a proposal from Chelsea for Nunez, and it appears Slot has no intention of losing him.
Slot is fully aware that Nunez may have been marginalized as Klopp’s stint came to an end, particularly when the 25-year-old declined to acknowledge Klopp at his final-match guard of honour in May. Starting his Liverpool career, Slot wasted no time in calling Nunez while the latter was preparing for Copa America duties, signalling to him that he is critical to the Reds ambitions this season.
Nunez suits Slot’s high-energy pressing style perfectly, and he was apparently given a huge confidence boost after learning that the new Reds manager wants him to lead the line. Nunez, who got into a Copa American brawl with Colombian fans following Uruguay’s semi-final loss, is again rejuvenated and ready to go after a long layoff.
Meanwhile, Diogo Jota is also set to go after joining the Reds in the United States following his Euro 2024 campaign with Portugal, giving Slot the perfect opportunity to fine-tune his intense press-first tactics with a real centre-forward – a sharp contrast to previous friendlies.
Slot is also interested in using video analysis to show how clubs like Manchester City and his former club Feyenoord force errors through high-pressure situations.
Liverpool has yet to make a move in the transfer market since Slot’s hiring, but the Dutch manager is prepared to wait for the right player to match his style. The former Feyenoord manager has a reputation in the Netherlands for producing success on limited budgets, which influenced Liverpool’s choice to attract him away from the Eredivisie.
In his six seasons as manager at Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar, and Feyenoord, he has never spent more than $8.9 million (£7 million/€8.2 million) on a single deal. Instead, he has concentrated on developing the talent he inherited, routinely achieving greater league rankings than his predecessors.
Slot’s first full season as a coach saw him lead Cambuur to the brink of promotion to the Eredivisie before joining AZ as an assistant coach.
When he took over for John van den Brom in 2019, he led the club on a surprising title challenge, competing with Erik ten Hag’s Ajax at the top of the table until the season was canceled due to the pandemic.
AZ nonetheless earned over $64 million (£50 million/€58 million) in player purchases during Slot’s tenure. At Feyenoord, the story was similar. Despite having a $7.6 million (£6 million/€7 million) budget and losing or releasing 16 players when he came coach, Slot led the team to the Conference League Final, where they were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
The following season, Feyenoord made $89 million (£70 million/€76 million) by selling 15 players. Despite spending half of this money on new recruits, six academy players made the championship-winning squad. The season before that saw a huge rebuild at Feyenoord, who once again took advantage of the transfer market while still winning the Dutch Cup.
