Liverpool have been treated to shovelfuls of Jurgen Klopp’s energy and enthusiasm over the past nine years or so but the German’s iconic Merseyside journey is now at its end.
Emotion were be high, tears were spilt and memories for a lifetime flooded through Anfield’s walls as Liverpool hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers to close out their Premier League campaign.
Meanwhile, Arne Slot will be preparing to jet to England as he succeeds Klopp in the Liverpool dugout, recently confirming the open secret that he will be the club’s head coach next season.
Slot has big boots to fill but he will take the reins at an outfit brimming with quality and solidified through a steely infrastructure, with a rich wave of academy talent at his feet.
In many ways, succeeding Klopp is an unenviable task but Slot has the smarts and the style to captivate the Reds, especially if he makes good use of the teenage hopefuls at his disposal.
Slot could find his own Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool
It’s no coincidence that Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rise to prominence at Liverpool is synonymous with Klopp’s trophy-winning success, with Gary Neville even remaking that the 25-year-old “has the material to be the very best right-back of all time”
Playing under Klopp’s guidance is all the Three Lions star has ever known, making his debut aged 18 and since completing 310 appearances, scoring 19 goals and providing 81 assists.
He is one of the best in the business, ranking among the top 12% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 3% for assists, the top 1% for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
The bond between Klopp and Alexander-Arnold strengthened the manager’s connection with Liverpool, with the city, with the fans, and Slot now needs to ensure that he does the same, and he could find his very own prodigy in the Reds’ Stefan Bajcetic.
How Bajcetic could thrive under Slot
Bajcetic entered the fray with a bang last season, promoted to the first team in the Premier League as Klopp fought to stop the rot that had ruined his team’s 2022/23 campaign.
The 19-year-old Spaniard featured 11 times in the league, scoring an impressive goal against Aston Villa to confirm a much-needed victory in December and showcasing his energy and enthusiasm by succeeding with 64% of his dribbles.
1.
Michael Owen
Wimbledon
17y 143d
2.
Raheem Sterling
Reading
17y 317d
3.
Stefan Bajcetic
Aston Villa
18y 65d
4.
Robbie Fowler
Oldham Athletic
18y 190d
5.
Jamie Carragher
Aston Villa
18y 356d
Writer Leanne Prescott even said: “Staggering that Liverpool look most in control this season when 18-year-old Stefan Bajcetic is playing.”
Wataru Endo, aged 31, has done an impressive job at the base of Liverpool’s midfield after completing a surprise £16m move to Anfield last summer, but one analyst projected that “he would struggle” away from Klopp’s system, and Slot might find that his brand of football thrives with Bajcetic featuring as the No. 6.
The Japan international has completed 28 Premier League matches this season, starting 19 times, and while he’s completed 88% of his passes and offered an industrious and committed presence in the centre of the park, he’s also only averaging 1.6 tackles per game, winning just 45% of his contested duels.
This speaks of Endo’s weakness in mobility and athleticism, two things that Bajcetic boasts in abundance. The teenage talent is also blessed with elite composure, maintaining his cool in chaotic circumstances at times last term, but he’s also fuelled with robust life, covering so much ground and completing defensive actions across the pitch.
His all-action, age-belying blend of qualities have only just scratched the surface of what could be a wonderful career at the height of the European game, and his incoming Dutch manager will surely fall for this exceptional starlet.
Indeed, Slot enjoys aggressive, front-footed football that bears a semblance to Klopp’s style but there is an emphasis on midfield control that isn’t found in the German’s system, with wide overloads prominent on Merseyside’s red half.
Bajcetic has already demonstrated his powers of control and influence in age-belying style, and while injuries and setbacks have limited him to only three senior appearances in 2023/24, the future phenom appears to have reached the light at the end of the tunnel after playing 25 minutes off the bench in Liverpool’s recent 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Fit and firing once again, Bajcetic must now use the summer break to prove himself to Slot, impressing in pre-season and suggesting that he deserves a regular place in his senior squad.
He already has the squad on his side: last season, Mohamed Salah said that “since he started playing for us, he has been our best player maybe so hopefully he keeps that confidence and keeps going.”
Alexander-Arnold’s link to Klopp won over a proud footballing city, and now Slot must ensure that he finds his own version of the creative genius to prove his suitability with the seat at the head of the table.
Luckily for him, Bajcetic is poised to make a real impact next season.
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