Liverpool are starting to get serious in their attempts to hire Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.

There are now just five games left of Klopp’s reign with the Reds. That will become four once this evening’s Merseyside Derby is done and dusted.

As a result, Liverpool are not far out from being without someone in charge of the first-team squad. Things need to move fast.

Thankfully, it now finally looks as though they are. The Reds have taken their time – and ruled out some pretty big names in the process – but it looks like it’s all coming together at Anfield.

And as updates slowly start to filter through about who the new man could be, it seems that one manager is already house-hunting in the Liverpool area.

Arne Slot convinced he’s set to become Liverpool boss

Throughout the process of deliberation over who should follow Klopp at Liverpool, FSG have seemingly remained calm.

Choosing the successor to the Reds most loved and trophy-laden manager of the modern era was never going to be easy. Cool heads were needed.

Thankfully, Michael Edwards is about as cool as they come. FSG’S CEO of football was reportedly prepared to be ‘bold not popular’ with his decision and that looks to have come to fruition.

As has been reported just about everywhere by now, Feyenoord’s Arne Slot is the man Liverpool are now zoning in on to be in the dugout next season. And according to Dutch outlet 1908.NL, Slot himself is getting excited over the move.

They claim that the 45-year-old is ‘very charmed’ by the idea of joining the Reds and is gently pushing to leave Feyenoord. In fact, so ‘convinced’ is Slot said to be, that he and his agent, Rafaela Pimenta are ready to discuss the final details of the contract with Liverpool.

The expectation from there is reportedly that Slot with become new Liverpool manager. However, it’s claimed that the deal is not done yet. Meetings are said to be scheduled ‘in the coming days.’ From there, Liverpool will need to strike a deal with Feyenoord, who will reportedly want a ‘serious transfer fee.’

Arne Slot looking for houses in Liverpool

Not only do 1908.NL report that a deal is expected to be hammered out between Slot and Liverpool, but they give an indication into his personal life, too.

They claim that the ‘entire Slot family’ will join Arne in England if things are finalised. In preparation for that, the Dutchman is said to be now looking for houses ‘in and around Liverpool.’

This all sounds to be very promising indeed. Unless anything dramatic happens from here, we’d suggest that the Reds have found their man.

In our opinion, we’re not quite sure how to feel about it all just yet. We still can’t imagine the club with Jurgen. But, in terms of Slot, Liverpool will reportedly be getting a coach who is ‘almost like a maniac’ [TalkSPORT] in the way his teams attack.

It all sounds intriguing and when the time comes, Arne will be welcomed to the area with open arms. But, my word, are we going to miss Jurgen.

EVENING NEWS

Liverpool are currently in pursuit of a new manager to take the reins after Jurgen Klopp steps down at Anfield.

Earlier this year, the Reds boss stunned the world of football by declaring his intention to quit Liverpool at the end of the season.

Liverpool have since been linked with a host of managers, including Xabi Alonso, Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi.

However, over the past few hours, one name has really begun doing the rounds with regards to the Reds hotseat.

The manager in question is Arne Slot, who has been impressing at Dutch Eredivisie giants Feyenoord in recent years.

Numerous reports have emerged in recent hours, with Sky Sports journalist Melissa Reddy among those to report on the latest goings-on between Liverpool and Slot.

Reddy reported that the Feyenoord boss “ticks all their key criteria for the position” and “appeals to Liverpool due to his aggressive, full-throttle style.”

And in terms of compensation, the Sky Sports report claims the Reds would be looking to pay a fee in the region of £9million for Slot.

This would make him a cheaper option than Amorim, whose release clause is said to be £12.8million.

What can Liverpool fans expect from Arne Slot?

Slot joined Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing at AZ, and continued to go from strength to strength in Rotterdam. The 45-year-old won the Eredivisie title last year and has won the Dutch Cup this season.

However, Slot’s silverware-winning efforts only tell half the story. He certainly ticks the boxes in terms of what he can bring to Liverpool tactics-wise.

Reddy wrote on Sky Sports that Slot ‘has drilled his team to be adept at turning defensive actions into shooting opportunities and they top the Eredivisie for tackles won in the opposition’s final third.

‘Feyenoord have the best defence in the league and the second-best offensive metrics.

‘Slot has proved capable of improving individuals as well as the collective, while operating on a smaller budget than his core competitors, and his penchant for a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-3 formation fits Liverpool’s squad.’

Feyenoord’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh, formerly of Brighton & Hove Albion, has sung the 45-year-old’s praises on a couple of occasions.

“During my time at AZ, as assistant coach, Arne Slot, was one of the people who helped me to become a better player,” he said in 2021 following his move to Feyenoord, as reported by The Argus.

“So when he called and asked if I wanted to come to Feyenoord, I told him I was going to do everything I could to make this transfer. I had no doubts.”

In a further interview, the Iran international labelled Slot as “the best” in the Netherlands and one of the best managers he’s ever worked with.

“He is one of the best managers I’ve ever seen,” he said, as per The Athletic. “In football terms, even the best. At the moment, he is the best in the Netherlands.”

Jurgen Klopp has made a significant impact at Liverpool since arriving back in October 2015, and his track record in the transfer market since moving to England speaks for itself.

When it comes to transfers in the Premier League, few have as impressive a track record as the one boasted by Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in recent years.

The Reds have concluded an array of astute deals under the German’s premiership – which will end in the summer – with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane all impressing after arriving for relatively modest sums.

And even Klopp’s premium purchases like Virgil van Dijk and Allison signed for £75million and £56m respectively, have managed to live up to the hype and establish themselves as cornerstones of the club’s recent success under the former Borussia Dortmund coach.

Klopp has always had a big say in the comings and goings at Anfield and has rightly received plenty of plaudits for the impressive work in the summer transfer window that has propelled his refreshed team – dubbed Liverpool 2.0 – into title contention in what will be his final campaign.

As well as setting out specific criteria before signing any new players, Klopp revealed back in 2020 that there is an unwritten agreement with all new signings which demands that they give everything – and in turn, Klopp gives them everything he has back.

“When we have this agreement, everything was fine, everything was good, that’s why we talked, that’s why we signed you, but from now on I expect much more,” Klopp previously revealed to Liverpool club media.

“For that, he gets more than he ever got before: more attention, more education, hopefully better training – that’s a clear agreement. If he is not happy with one of these parts, he can come to me and tell me, ‘You told me that, it didn’t happen’.

“If I am not happy with one of the things he agreed, I will go to him and tell him, ‘You said this and that, you didn’t do that – why?’ This is a clear deal, but a handshake deal, not written down.”

The opportunity to work with one of the game’s elite coaches has paid dividends for Liverpool in the market. The likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were both lured to Anfield in the summer and have already made a significant impact on the pitch.

And after a disappointing season last year, Klopp and Liverpool are back on track to challenge for major honours – he’s clearly holding up his end of the bargain with said transfer agreement.

We all knew it. Anyone with eyes knew it. And now the head of the Premier League referees, Howard Webb, has admitted yet another very costly VAR decision that went against Liverpool.

The incident in question this time was Martin Odegaard’s blatant handball in the Premier League match at Anfield just before Christmas.

The Arsenal captain clearly moved his hand towards the ball just inside the area, but the referee, Chris Kavanagh, did not award a penalty.

Reviewing the incident in the VAR room was David Coote and assistant VAR Lee Betts.

In the now-released VAR audio, referee Kavanagh can be heard saying: “No, his hand’s on the floor.”

To which, VAR Coote says: “Ok, checking possible penalty for handball.”

Coote then says: “It clearly hits his arm. That’s not the point I’m looking at.”

Coote then assesses: “For me, Lee (Betts)… he’s falling down, he’s moving his arms towards him, so it’s check complete for me.”

Assistant VAR Betts replies: “Yeah, from the brief look I’ve seen, yeah, agreed, yeah, yeah.”

Coote: “Check complete. Confirming on-field decision, no penalty.”

Coote, of course, has had a series of run-ins with Jurgen Klopp in the past. Famously he missed Jordan Pickford’s challenge on Virgil van Dijk in 2020, when it’s claimed he forget to check the foul itself and only checked the offside.

Coote’s decision not to award the penalty for Liverpool was the latest subject of Webb’s on the Premier League‘s ‘Mic’d Up’ show on Tuesday night, on which Webb admitted a penalty should have been awarded:

“The on-field referee recognised Odegaard had slipped and saw his arm go towards the ground. We’ve talked in the past about supporting arms if someone falls or breaks their fall with their arm, it’s a pretty well-established concept.

“In this situation, though, there’s an important difference to a normal player that’s fallen. This is not just Odegaard accidentally falling onto the ball, his arm does go out but then he pulls his arm back in towards his body which is when the ball makes contact with his arm.

“The VAR looked at that aspect. He thought it was a case of Odegaard trying to make himself smaller by bringing his arm back to his body. That is the element that’s important here. Whether it’s instinctive or deliberate, he gets a huge advantage by bringing the arm back towards the ball.

“The feedback we got back afterwards was very clear, the game expects a penalty in this situation and I would agree. As such, this one did not reach the right outcome on that basis.”

In addition, ESPN journalist Dale Johnson explained how an independent panel, separately, adjudged 4-1 in favour that a penalty should have been award.

So that’s the Arsenal and Tottenham outcomes that have been severely affected by absolutely appalling referee decisions so far this season.

Full scholarships (also called full-ride scholarships) are the holy grail of funding opportunities, covering almost everything for the full three or four years of university. Your tuition and living costs will be covered by the provider, leaving you free to focus on your studies and social life without worrying about money. Sounds great, right?

Sadly, there just aren’t too many of these dream scholarships going around. Full scholarships are rare, and those that are available are very competitive. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply for them – read on to discover how to increase your chances of being awarded one of these prestigious scholarships.

Know where to look

First things first, where do you actually go to find full scholarships? Your first port of call should be your chosen university’s official website, as they may offer their own funding opportunities for students from your location or in your subject, or possibly list external scholarships you could apply to.

As well as your university, you could check sites like InternationalScholarships.com or FastWeb.com, plus our own Scholarships to Study Abroad page, which lists funding opportunities in different study destinations, scholarships focused on particular subjects and scholarships aimed at particular student groups (e.g. African students).

Prepare in advance

If you know you’ll need a full scholarship to help you to attend university, it’s important to start preparing as far in advance as possible. This is especially important if you find you need to attend an interview – some universities conduct special ‘scholarship weekends’ in which 50-100 students will be invited on campus to interview with a faculty member, answering questions on their goals and motivations and how this fits in with that university and course. If you need to attend a scholarship interview, you should treat this as you would any other formal interview, dressing smartly and coming well-prepared with good answers for their possible questions, as well as having a few questions ready to ask them when invited to at the end of the interview.

Work hard and keep motivated

Although some full scholarships will be based on financial need rather than academic excellence, some will take both into account, or only be awarded to exceptional students. It goes without saying that you should be working hard in your studies, but you’ll need to really put in the effort if you want to get that full scholarship, as the majority are awarded to the highest-achieving students. In some cases, universities may automatically consider applicants for full scholarships using your regular university application, making high grades crucial. While pushing yourself academically can be mentally exhausting, try to stay motivated by keeping your goals in mind, and give yourself a break every now and then to relax (especially during and after exam season!).

Make yourself stand out from other applicants

With so much competition to get a full scholarship, it’s crucial to stand out from the pool of applicants by demonstrating real commitment to bettering yourself as an individual. This means having a few extracurricular activities to show off to scholarship providers, demonstrating your passions and interests outside the classroom, as well as examples of times you’ve got involved with the local community, perhaps by taking part in volunteer work for a good cause.

Leadership skills are also hugely valued by scholarship providers, and you can demonstrate this by volunteering to lead projects in your extracurricular activities or community work.

Another thing that could really make you stand out from the rest when it comes to scholarship applications is a glowing report on your academic and personal qualities through your letters of recommendation, so it’s important to build strong relationships with your academic mentors – if a mentor knows you well, they’ll be able to provide a more personal and accurate reflection of you in their letter.

Read the application instructions carefully

This may seem extremely obvious, but you don’t want to drop your chances by accidentally missing out a document or piece of information that was stipulated in the scholarship’s application instructions. Be sure to read the application guidance carefully and repeatedly, so you’re less likely to miss anything, and email the provider if you need clarification on anything.

Submit an exceptional scholarship essay or cover letter

Another one that goes without saying, but your application essay/cover letter needs to absolutely be the best quality it can possibly be. This means making sure it’s clear and concise, is formatted correctly, grabs the reader with a strong introduction, stays focused on its key theme or topic, and has flawless spelling and grammar. Don’t just rely on proofreading it hundreds of times to make sure it’s perfect – ask a friend to go over it and check for typos and any sentences that don’t read as well as they could do.

Be realistic

And finally, as we touched on earlier, the unfortunate truth is that there aren’t many full scholarships to go around, and they’re extremely competitive, meaning that many candidates who meet and exceed the requirements for a full scholarship end up missing out. Don’t let this hold you back from applying, but be realistic about your expectations. And remember, there’s no limit on how many scholarship applications you can send out, and normally no limit to how many scholarships you can be awarded, so you may be able to build your own full scholarship using two or more smaller scholarships. (Of course, be sure to check with the providers that you’re able to apply for and receive funding from other sources). If you do get rejections, try not to let them get you down – pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and don’t stop trying in life until you get what you want.