THE “Jurgen Klopp farewell tour” – which began so spectacularly at the end of January with Liverpool pushing for an unprecedented quadruple of trophies – has well and truly fallen off the rails.

The Reds’ limp defeat in midweek to Merseyside rivals Everton dealt another blow to their fading hopes of winning the English Premier League (EPL) title this season.

That 0-2 loss puts Liverpool third in the table, three points behind leaders Arsenal and two adrift of second-placed Manchester City, who have played one game less.

Some pundits have said that Klopp and Liverpool made a miscalculation by announcing the German’s retirement in the middle of the season, with the players unable to deal with the weight of expectations on their shoulders to deliver the perfect sendoff for their beloved manager.

While the Reds did go on to beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on Feb 25, that too with a severely depleted squad, they have suffered a string of poor results since.

First it was an out-of-form Manchester United that knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup on Mar 17, and that was followed by Italian side Atalanta sending the Reds packing from the Europa League with a 3-1 aggregate win over two legs.

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When Klopp delivered the shocking news on Jan 26 that he would be departing in the summer after nearly nine years at the helm, Liverpool were five points clear at the top of the EPL. They could now finish as low as third, depending on how their two rivals fare in their remaining fixtures.

Slot’s the boss?

The rumour mill went into overdrive this week as the Dutch media reported on Wednesday that Arne Slot, the current manager of Feyenoord in the Netherlands.

The 45-year-old is widely seen as a frontrunner for the Anfield hot seat, after the previous favourite, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, declared that he would remain at the Bundesliga club.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Slot – a known admirer of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola – has been courted by a Premier League team. Last year, he rejected the advances of Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United, while Chelsea were believed to have also shown an interest in hiring him.

Slot – a former striker during his playing days – eventually chose to ink a new three-year deal with Feyenoord. He led the Rotterdam-based club to the Dutch league title in 2023 and won the Dutch Cup earlier this week.

Feyenoord are currently second in the Eredivisie, nine points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven with four matches to go.

In his 144 games in charge so far, Slot has 93 wins, 24 losses and 27 draws. One of his most impressive wins was the 4-0 success over Ajax Amsterdam last September, which was the first time they had triumphed at Ajax’s home stadium in 17 years.

‘Underwhelming’ choice

Ever since news broke of his possible appointment, Liverpool players past and present have been mixed in their assessment of whether Slot is the right man to take their beloved club to a level where they can challenge for major trophies on a regular basis.

“Underwhelmed” was the word former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol used when asked how he felt about Slot during a panel discussion on ESPN that was aired on YouTube on Thursday.

“I mean, is that the resume of somebody to lead a club the size of Liverpool back to the Premier League title and the Champions League? I can’t honestly say that,” he said.

“All the other boxes have been ticked. The way (Feyenoord) plays the game, the way he goes about it. You know he’s going to be able to coach, but is it really a resume to take over one of the biggest clubs in the land? I’m not sure it is. But what are the alternatives?”

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk offered a more positive take on the situation. Not long after the Everton defeat, he declared that Slot did possess the credentials to step into Klopp’s shoes.

“I find it difficult to answer it now, of course. But I think Arne Slot might be one of the better Dutch coaches at this moment,” Van Dijk told video streaming service Viaplay. “The way he plays and the philosophy he has (tells me) that he could be a Liverpool coach.”

Liverpool have just four matches left to play this season, starting with a trip to London on Saturday to face a West Ham United team that have won just once in their last eight games.