Slot closes in on deal to appoint former Arsenal star as his Liverpool assistant
Liverpool are working hard to add new faces to their squad with Arne Slot also hopng to recruit a new coach following the departure Johnny Heitinga earlier this season
Liverpool are set to appoint Giovanni van Bronckhorst as assistant boss. Arne Slot is looking to add another Dutchman to his coaching team to replace Johnny Heitinga, who departed to take the top job at Ajax.
Van Bronckhorst has been out of work since he was sacked by Besiktas in November. The Dutch coach has previously managed Feyenoord - like Slot - as well as Rangers.
But now he will step back into a role as an assistant to take over from Heitinga if a deal gets completed. Heitinga was a popular figure among the Liverpool players after just a year at the club for the former Everton defender.
But he could not turn down the chance to take charge of Ajax, where he has previously been interim boss. Van Bronckhorst had a distinguished career as a player having played with Rangers, Arsenal, Barcelona and Feyenoord at either end of his playing time.
Speaking out earlier this year, Van Bronckhorst shared his disgruntlement about how his spell at Ibrox ended. He said: "I'm frustrated because I had to leave because I am a fighter, I was a fighter as a player and also as a coach.
"I think I have done everything in my power to manage the club. If you have to say goodbye to a club, and a club I mean players, the fans to leave, that is not a nice feeling to leave something you love.
"But you have to live with it, you have to deal with it and you have to move on because life goes on. I am now in a very positive place where I enjoy life, I enjoy my family and enjoy watching really good games. We all move on."
Van Bronckhorst added: "It's something you don't want as a coach. I wish I was still there coaching this team but I also know how it works in football and I am not deciding the future of the club. It is not ideal for a coach and I think also not ideal for a club."
Following his time with Rangers, Van Bronckhorst was appointed by Turkish giants Besiktas but lasted just five months in Istanbul. He won exactly half of the 20 matches he oversaw - and has not returned to the dugout since.
Away from the dugout, Liverpool are also hard at work adding to their playing staff. Jeremie Frimpong and Armin Pecsi have already been signed and the Reds are still chasing deals for Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arne Slot delivers on his Liverpool promise with Florian Wirtz statement signing
The football world knew it was coming some while ago but confirmation that Florian Wirtz will be playing for Liverpool next season should still send a stark warning to their Premier League rivals. Make no mistake, this is a statement signing. A few weeks ago, Arne Slot told a few of us that he was looking to add 'an extra weapon' to his squad. Well, Wirtz is a footballing Swiss Army knife. He has a multitude of ways to unlock opposition defences. The fee is quite spectacular. And some have pointed out that the maximum spend of £116million on the 22-year-old is in excess of the total being paid by Manchester City for Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki. There are several reasons why that is largely irrelevant, one of them being that Liverpool are selectively adding to their squad from a base of great strength. Remarkably, in their season without a trophy, it suddenly looked as though Pep Guardiola had a squad that almost needed a complete rebuild. Hence the handful of January signings and the early summer captures. This is not minor tinkering to Pep's personal, this is an overhaul. Slot, on the other hand - helped by an injury list that was never too severe - ran a well-oiled machine. While the likes of, say, Cherki, Ait-Nouri and Reijnders are high-quality players, are they better than what Liverpool already have? Probably not. But Wirtz, with his versatile brilliance, almost certainly is. If you have just won the self-styled best league in the world by ten points and you want to improve your team, then it normally costs top dollar. That they spent next to nothing last summer helps, but it is still a testament to Fenway Sports Group's ambitions that they are backing Slot with this sort of financial muscle. And it is a statement from Slot to the players that provided him with a Premier League title in his first season in England. In the same interview in which he spoke about finding 'an extra weapon', Slot was also asked if he had any regrets from that brilliant first campaign. There were not many, of course, but he did wonder if the Champions League campaign might have been different had he felt empowered to rotate more. The acquisition of Jeremie Frimpong and the impending arrival of Wirtz and, almost certainly, Milos Kerkez, will give him more rotation options next season. And you can be almost certain that the recruitment will not stop there, even if there might be one or two outgoings to satisfy the accountants. Wirtz will have been assured of Liverpool's long-term ambitions, that is for sure. Wirtz was sold a vision by Slot, a vision that was more impressive than the one given by Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich. And that is why this is just not a statement signing for Liverpool … it is a statement signing for Slot himself. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky has slashed the price of its bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more. Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Daily Mirror
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool stars make feelings clear on Alexander-Arnold after Madrid unveiling
Trent Alexander-Arnold was officially unveiled as Real Madrid's newest player on Thursday, though the right-back raised eyebrows back at his former club Liverpool Trent Alexander-Arnold's former Liverpool team-mates appear to approve of his move to Real Madrid. The England international has decided to head to the Bernabeu on a free transfer from the Reds. Alexander-Arnold's decision drew intense criticism from Liverpool fans and he was booed in his final few games for the club. Madrid have paid a £10million fee in order to have Alexander-Arnold released from his contract early. That means he will be able to feature in their Club World Cup campaign. The right-back was officially unveiled by the La Liga giants on Thursday, taking to the podium to speak in fluent Spanish. His ability to speak the language of his new country raised eyebrows among Reds fans. Alexander-Arnold was joined at the announcement by members of his family, as well as Madrid's top brass. They are not the only ones supporting his decision to leave his boyhood team for pastures new though. Alexander-Arnold celebrated his unveiling at Madrid by posting an image on Instagram of himself and his family while wearing his new club's kit. The caption on the post read: "Family is everything." Alexander-Arnold received overwhelming support from his former team-mates at Anfield following the post. It received more than 1.8 million likes on Instagram, including from current Liverpool stars including Federico Chiesa, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz and Tyler Morton. Former Reds stars Roberto Firmino, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana also liked the post by Alexander-Arnold. He was also welcomed by his new team-mates, with Jude Bellingham leaving a white love heart emoji as his comment on the post. Alexander-Arnold is looking forward to starting the next chapter of his career. He said at his announcement: 'It wasn't a question of whether to go or not. I always knew that if I ever left Liverpool, it would be to join Real Madrid. "There came a time when I had to decide whether to leave or stay, and it wasn't easy. I'd been there for so long that it wasn't easy. There comes a time when you have to make a decision, and for me, this was the right one. 'I was there for so long. The club gave me the opportunity to achieve all my dreams. I'm grateful to them and will always be with them. Having achieved everything I've accomplished at my age, I'm ready to move on. "This opportunity came along and I took it. I think it's a good decision. I've been lucky to play for the biggest team in England and now I'm at the biggest in Spain. Both have won many trophies and dominated their leagues. It's an honour to represent both of them. "At both clubs, you're expected to win and perform well; there are many similarities. At Liverpool, you were expected to win trophies and it's the same here. That's what's demanded of you. The fans are used to it and we have to deliver."
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers preparing £6m transfer bid for striker who could join Dor Turgeman in new-look £10m attack
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS are preparing to table an official £6million bid for Matija Frigan. Russell Martin is targeting the Croatian striker, who hit 13 goals for Belgian side Westerlo last season. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up And they could use the sale of Cyriel Dessers to help fund the move. Reports claim the Nigerian hitman has agreed a £30,000-a-week deal with AEK Athens. The Greek giants held initial discussions with the Ibrox side earlier this week and they now believe they finally have their man. Dessers joined Gers in a £3m move from Cremonese two years ago. And despite netting 51 goals in 109 games he remains a divisive figure among the Gers support. AEK are willing to offer him a fresh start in the Greek capital, with Dessers sold on the move. Rangers' new American owners are set to demand £5m for his services, with AEK willing to spend big to land their man. A fee has yet to be agreed. Robin Propper is another player edging ever closer to an Ibrox exit. It's understood a verbal deal with FC Twente is in place that would see the Dutch defender return home after a single season in Glasgow. Rangers fans react to news Russell Martin is their new manager Twente are prepared to pay £1m for their former skipper, who will hold talks with new Gers gaffer Martin to determine his future. It's expected Propper will be given the green light to head back to Holland. US owner Andrew Cavenagh and his San Francisco 49ers backers have vowed to inject £20m of additional funds into the Ibrox coffers. Last week, CEO Patrick Stewart vowed a 'decent amount' would be ring fenced for recruitment. Leicester City defender Conor Coady remains a target as Martin bids to bolster Gers' backline. And the Ibrox side remain very much in the hunt for £4m-rated Israeli striker Dor Turgeman. Talks with Maccabi Tel Aviv are ongoing as Gers seek to pair him with Frigan next season. Reports in Croatia claim the Light Blues are leading the race for the 22-year-old striker, with HSV and Hull City also showing an interest. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
