One player who came up against Liverpool in the Champions League this season has revealed the kind words that Arne Slot had for him and his team on the night that they faced the Reds.
The Merseysiders’ first home match of the new-look league phase saw them welcome Bologna to Anfield at the start of October, and they were made to earn their 2-0 victory over the Serie A side.
Sam Beukema was in the Rossoblu’s starting line-up that night, and he’s now shared that the current LFC head coach had previously messaged him to try and lure him to Feyenoord.
The 26-year-old spoke to Cronache di Spogliatoio about Slot, who was impressed by the defender’s performance and that of his team when they played Liverpool a few weeks ago.
Beukema said (via Get Football News Italy): “In my opinion, he’s one of the best coaches in the Netherlands and Europe. After our Champions League game against Liverpool, he praised me and the team, saying, ‘It’s incredible that we’re competing at this level’.”
Despite being a childhood West Ham supporter, the Bologna defender told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport last month that he’d be ‘happy’ to play for Liverpool in the future if the opportunity were to arise.
While Slot may have shown an interest in Beukema in the past, in truth it’s difficult to see the 26-year-old being a serious transfer target at Anfield any time soon.
He was his team’s lowest-rated player on Sofascore when they faced the Reds in early October, while his performance metrics don’t particularly stand out in comparison to positional peers in Europe’s five main leagues over the past year (FBref).
Also, with Liverpool currently boasting a formidable centre-back pairing in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, along with having reliable backup in Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, competition in that area of the pitch is already very strong in L4.
Nonetheless, Beukema’s anecdote portrays him and Slot in a positive light, and Bologna’s overall performance at Anfield was indeed deserving of praise.
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