Liverpool are gearing up for a first season under new boss Arne Slot and everybody at Anfield should be looking to impress the Dutchman.

The new Premier League season is looming large and Arne Slot’s fortunes at Liverpool will be of real interest.

Slot has moved from Feyenoord to Liverpool having been picked out as the man to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout.

Klopp is so difficult to replace, not just for his brilliance as a tactical and a winner, but also because of his emotional connection to the Liverpool fanbase.

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Slot had that connection with the Feyenoord fans, to his credit, but some will fear that he just won’t be able to follow on from Klopp – even with Robin van Persie backing him to shine.

David Moyes and Unai Emery struggled to follow on from Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger respectively and Slot will need to fare much better at Liverpool.

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Slot inherits a strong Liverpool squad but some players need to step it up this season.

Cody Gakpo is one of them, especially having dazzled for the Netherlands at Euro 2024, showing form beyond his Liverpool displays.

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Gary Neville has been told that Gakpo should be deployed out wide and that is something for Slot to figure out.

Then there is Darwin Nunez, who continues to divide opinion two years since his arrival at Anfield.

The Uruguayan is capable of the sublime and the ridiculous, often with seconds of each other.

33 goals across his first two seasons at Liverpool isn’t a terrible record but the Reds need more after a huge outlay.

Nunez is 25 now; he isn’t a kid and isn’t a developmental prospect.

Liverpool simply need to see Nunez take another step forward this season and that is a verdict shared by pundit Steve Nicol.

Nicol – who hasn’t been impressed with Slot’s coaching ideas – has told ESPN that he thinks Nunez is heading into a make-or-break season at Liverpool.

Nicol thinks that Nunez will either become a Liverpool legend or need to leave the club by the end of this coming season.

Fellow pundit Stewart Robson added that he thinks Nunez is a truly ‘outstanding’ player and that the goals will come for him soon – it’s just a matter of finding confidence.

“I was, particularly last year, saying look, you still need to give him a little bit of time but I think this year is going to define whether he kicks on and becomes an Anfield legend or whether he doesn’t and it’s time to move somewhere else,” said Nicol.

“I would think that’s how important this season is for him.”

“He’s got pace, he’s got strength, he’s got good technique, goals will come.

I know it’s been a couple of years where he’s missed chances, but if you keep getting into those situations, eventually, you’re going to get that confidence, you’re going to score a couple of goals and it’s then going to carry on from there – I think he’s an outstanding player,” added Robson.

Nunez has so much talent in his locker but the wild inconsistency is holding him back from becoming a true Liverpool superstar.

Perhaps Slot can be the man to really unlock Nunez though.

Cyriel Dessers may be viewed as a clumsy, wasteful striker at Rangers but he scored 20 goals in his one season under Slot at Feyenoord.

Santiago Gimenez has smashed 49 goals in two seasons under Slot, taking his game to another level having previously scored 21 times in 105 games in Mexico.

Slot has worked wonders with strikers in the past and Nunez may be his next project and Slot has already suggested that Nunez will fit into his plans perfectly.
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