Slot eyes ‘trusted lieutenant’ as new Liverpool boss has Feyenoord duo on ‘radar’ as first signings
Mats Wieffer and Lutsharel Geertruida could be Arne Slot’s first signings as Liverpool manager
Arne Slot has identified two Feyenoord players as his first signings when he replaces Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, according to reports.
The Dutch manager is expected to join Liverpool at the end of the season and said last week that he is “confident” a full agreement will be reached.
“We haven’t confirmed anything yet and as long as we haven’t confirmed anything yet I don’t think it is honest to the club I am working for now or the club I could go to to talk about it,” Slot said at a press conference.
“I am more than happy to answer any questions after the official announcement is made.
“I have all the confidence that will happen but for now it hasn’t been confirmed officially yet.
“There is a time and place to do so and this moment today is not that moment. There are three games to go for us and also for Liverpool.”
He has very big shoes to fill with Klopp leaving Anfield and a lot of people have been surprised by the Reds’ decision to pursue Slot having been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and Sporting’s Ruben Amorim.
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When a manager leaves a foreign club for a Premier League side, rumours involving players following them are very normal, and you will be absolutely shocked to learn that this is the case with Slot.
Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida was linked with a move to Anfield over the weekend and now a report from Football Insider says the Reds will pursue him and midfielder Mats Wieffer following Slot’s arrival.
The website’s senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke has claimed that both Dutch players could be the 45-year-old’s first two signings as Liverpool head coach.
It is stated that the Merseyside giants have been looking at both players for a while, even before being linked with Slot, while other Premier League clubs have also been keeping tabs on their situation.
O’Rourke said: “There’s a couple of names, Mats Wieffer…is somebody that could be on Liverpool’s radar. He was looked at by Liverpool and several other Premier League clubs before this potential Slot move.
“Lutsharel Geertruida…he was pictured at West Ham’s game against Liverpool just to fuel speculation. He’s another trusted lieutenant of Slot. He would tick a lot of boxes for Liverpool.
“It’s a typical story. Managers do like to sign players that they’ve previously worked with. Liverpool’s recruitment team will be looking at some of those players at Feyenoord.”
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Geertruida would add some much-needed depth to Liverpool’s defence with Joel Matip set to leave as a free agent this summer.
The 23-year-old predominantly plays as a right-back but can also slot in to a centre-back role, while hardly looking out of his depth as a defensive midfielder.
Under contract until 2025, the Reds might be able to secure the Netherlands international for a respectable fee.
Wieffer, meanwhile, is under contract until 2027 and has nine Netherlands caps under his belt.
Feyenoord spent a measly €575,000 to sign the 24-year-old from Excelsior in 2022 and is now worth €27million, as per Transfermarkt.
More: Liverpool news | Arne Slot | Jurgen Klopp