Arne Slot could be left disappointed regarding one man that he wants to bring in at Liverpool ahead of his first season in England.
The 45-year-old is expected to be reunited with Sipke Hulshoff, his second in command at Feyenoord, but might be thwarted in his hopes of bringing another member of his former De Kuip backroom staff with him.
As reported by Algemeen Dagblad, the Reds’ new head coach wants Etienne Reijnen – one of his assistants in Rotterdam – to join him at Anfield, but the 37-year-old doesn’t have the requisite coaching qualifications for a Premier League position.
He’d also need to acquire a work permit, which has become more difficult to obtain in England, and regulations prevented him from accompanying Slot in the Feyenoord dugout. He’d instead take up a position in the stands in the official role of ‘analyst and technical staff advisor’, rather than assisant coach.
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The technicalities around work permit eligibility is one of many challenges that Slot will face throughout his time at Liverpool.
With so many of Jurgen Klopp’s backroom team also leaving in tandem with the manager, the new man in charge will have plenty of scope to fill the vacant positions with people that he trusted at Feyenoord, hence the imminent arrival of Hulshoff.
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There might be a window of opportunity further down the line to bring Reijnen to Anfield, should he become able to obtain the necessary work permit to take up a role on Merseyside.
Slot will be disappointed at being denied the chance to bring one of his trusted lieutenants with him from Rotterdam, but we trust that he’ll find a suitable alternative to carry out the role with which the ex-Zwolle defender has been tasked at De Kuip.