Arne Slot arrived at Liverpool last summer without fanfare into an atmosphere of uncertainty following his iconic predecessor Jurgen Klopp’s shock decision to leave Anfield.<\/p>\n
The 46-year-old Dutch coach built a fine reputation with successes at Feyenoord, but was an unknown quantity to many Liverpool supporters and untested in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Slot’s understated persona was in sharp contrast to the charismatic Klopp, whose departure shaped expectations to the extent that a top-four finish and continued Champions League football was the widely accepted target for Liverpool’s fanbase.<\/p>\n
The pressure of being Liverpool manager is ever-present – but early expectation management in the new era meant levels were adjusted accordingly.<\/p>\n
Fast forward a remarkable 12 months and Slot’s Liverpool start the new campaign as Premier League champions, strolling to the title with a 10-point margin and four games to spare, barely threatened from Christmas onwards.<\/p>\n
What should have been a summer of celebration has been lived under the shadow of the tragic death of much-loved forward Diogo Jota, killed in a car crash, and the incident in which many Liverpool fans were injured at the title parade.<\/p>\n
In the purely sporting context, however, the landscape has shifted dramatically for the club – and with it comes increasing pressure and scrutiny on Slot to deliver more success.<\/p>\n
After barely dipping into his spending pot last summer, Slot now has an array of new talent at his disposal following a remarkable summer spending spree that could yet comfortably top \u00a3300m – making the Reds firm favourites to retain their crown.<\/p>\n
Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz, one of Europe’s hottest properties, in a \u00a3116m deal from Bayer Leverkusen, a new pair of full-backs in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong for a combined \u00a370m from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth respectively, then added Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a deal that could be worth \u00a370m.<\/p>\n