Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s stance on Darwin Nunez sale as pair hold phone call | Football | Sport

New Liverpool manager Arne Slot has contacted Darwin Nunez with a clear message: he is central to his plans at Anfield. The Dutch boss has no plans to sell the Uruguayan forward and instead wants to build a team around him.

Slot understands that Nunez, who cost £85million, felt marginalised towards the end of Jurgen Klopp’s regime. Nunez was seen refusing to applaud Klopp during his guard of honour at his farewell match.

One of Slot’s first acts was to call Nunez as he prepared for the Copa America, assuring the striker that he is seen as essential to Liverpool’s future success.

Nunez, 25, whose tireless efforts on the pitch are integral to Slot’s aggressive pressing strategy, would have been thrilled to learn his new manager values ​​his contribution.

After a tough Copa America campaign, which saw a heated clash between Nunez and Colombian fans after the semi-final, he was given time off to recover.

Diogo Jota joined Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the USA, fresh from his Euro 2024 stint with Portugal, which has allowed Slot to refine his tactics which require intense pressing initiated by his forwards.

Previously, he played without a recognised striker in Liverpool’s friendlies.

One veteran player wryly called Slot “crazy” for expecting them to step up their work rate during the American leg of the tour.

Slot is also interested in using video analysis to demonstrate how teams like Manchester City and his former side Feyenoord force mistakes through high-pressure plays.

Liverpool have yet to make any moves in the transfer market since signing Arne Slot, but the Dutch tactician is content to wait for the right player to fit into his system.

Slot has gained a reputation in the Netherlands for getting results on a tight budget, a key factor in Liverpool’s decision to sign him from Feyenoord.

In his six seasons as manager of Cambuur, AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord, he never spent more than £7m on a single transfer.

Instead, he focused on developing the talent he inherited, consistently securing higher league positions than his predecessors.

Slot’s first full season as a coach took him to the brink of promotion to the Eredivisie before he moved to AZ as assistant coach.

When he took over from John van den Brom in 2019, he led a surprising title run that saw the club compete with Erik ten Hag’s Ajax at the top of the table until the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

AZ still made almost £50 million from player sales during Slot’s tenure.

At Feyenoord, it was a similar story. Despite a budget of just £6m and the departure or release of 16 players when he took over, Slot guided the team to the Conference League final, where they were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

The following season, a further 15 players were released, generating £70 million – and despite half of the funds being allocated to new signings, six academy players were in the squad that secured the championship for Feyenoord.

The previous season saw another shake-up, with Feyenoord capitalising on the transfer market once again, but still managing to secure the Dutch Cup.