EXCLUSIVE
Incoming Liverpool manager Arne Slot boasts traits similar to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
That is the view of Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan, who has lauded the Feyenoord boss for what he has done in Holland.
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talkSPORT understands that Slot is primed to replace Klopp at Anfield having won the Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup with the Rotterdam outfit.
And Van der Kraan has waxed lyrical over the 45-year-old's free-flowing attacking style of play, which has seen him draw inspiration from Guardiola and Johan Cruyff.
Speaking on the talkSPORT Trans Europe Express show, he said: "I was a big fan of the football from the 1970s, I was a massive Johan Cruyff fan.
"I loved our World Cup team in 1974, that was 'Total Football', it was probably the most crazy attacking side I think from the last century.
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"That's where our great Dutch football years started, Johan Cruyff took it later as a manager, he infected other pupils - Ronald Koeman, Pep Guardiola.
"Pep took it even further than Cruyff would have envisaged. Slot watches all his games, he studies every week.
"When Jose Mourinho found out that all he watches is Pep Guardiola, he had a right rant at him after the Roma game where Feyenoord got beaten in the last minute [of Europa Conference League final in 2022], he shouted at him in the tunnel.
"He said, 'Go and watch Pep Guardiola, don't watch my games because you might win something if you watch my games.'
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"Arne is a real lover of good attacking football, and what he's done so far in Holland, is play exactly like Pep does, like Cruyff used to do at Ajax and Barcelona.
"And this is why what he's done so far in Holland has been brilliant."
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Van der Kraan then went on to liken Slot to Klopp in terms of his personality, where is able to inspire his side through impassioned team talks.
He remarked: "One of the great things about him personality wise, is that has a strong command of the English language.
"He coaches in English, he does all his pep talks in English, from the day he arrived at Feyenoord, he says, 'OK boys, I'm speaking English, that's the language in the dressing room we've got for you foreigners, and also to all the Dutch lads, everything's English here.'
"And his pep talks, you can even see that in one of the documentaries that they've done on Disney, is how he pumps his side up with great pep talks - all in English.
"And I think that sort of thing gives you a head start when you walk into your new club, and I think people will see, with all respect, it's not like with Erik ten Hag, Koeman or [Louis] van Gaal.
"Van Gaal [knew the] least of the English language, Arne will just be absolutely fluent in all his press conferences.
"He's very cheery, he's very similar to Jurgen Klopp actually."