Richard Keys believes that Liverpool will not give their incoming manager Arne Slot the level of power they gave to Jurgen Klopp and he will be more of a ‘head coach’ rather than a manager.
Slot is set to replace Liverpool’s long-time manager at the end of the season after an agreement was reached between the Merseyside giants and Feyenoord.
Keys though believes that Slot will not have the same level of power Klopp had at Anfield given the involvement of Michael Edwards.
Edwards, who had left the club in 2022 has been appointed a football CEO by FSG, and he is set to work along with a number of other new appointees in the backroom staff.
Keys thinks that a conflict of interest between Klopp and Edwards might have led to the departure of the latter and with the departure of Klopp, Edwards may have total control over footballing matters, reducing Slot’s position to that of a mere head coach.
“In amongst the things I’ve read about him so far was a revealing line that ten Slot will not be ‘manager’ at Anfield. He’s going to be ‘head coach’,” Keys wrote on his blog.
“Why is that significant? Well – I believe because it cements Michael Edwards’ position as ‘head of football’.
“Edwards has only recently returned to Liverpool after a two-year absence. Perhaps it’s just co-incidence he’s back when Klopp is leaving? But I don’t believe it is.
“Talk to insiders and they’ll tell you he left after a fall-out with Klopp, who ended up running Liverpool from top to bottom.
“Quite simply – Edwards lost the power struggle.
“There is no way Edwards would’ve returned to the club unless he had assurances about having total control of all football matters.
“That meant he’d be working with a coach – not a manager. Whether he’s chosen the right one only time will tell.”
Slot won the Eredivisie title with Feyenoord last season and has also recently won the Dutch Cup with them.
