Arne Slot has taken up his first football role since leaving Liverpool by joining UEFA’s Technical Observer Group.
The Dutchman was dismissed at the end of last season following a disappointing defence of the Premier League title, with Liverpool finishing fifth and only narrowly securing Champions League qualification after his two-year spell at Anfield.
Slot had been linked with the Netherlands manager’s position after Ronald Koeman left the role following their last-32 World Cup defeat by Morocco. However, Slot rejected the speculation and made clear that he remained focused on returning to club management.
Until his next position in the dugout becomes available, Slot will work alongside a group of prominent figures from the game to analyse the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
UEFA said its technical observers use “stats and video assistance, enabling them to deliver detailed reports on the latest developments in coaching, which are shared among the footballing community to give a dynamic account of the state of the game.”
Announcing Slot’s appointment, European football’s governing body highlighted his achievements with Feyenoord, where he reached the UEFA Conference League final in 2022 before winning the Eredivisie title and Dutch Cup in the following two campaigns.
He moved to Liverpool in 2024 and, according to UEFA, immediately led the club to their second Premier League title in five years before departing Anfield this summer.
Slot is not the only former Liverpool manager involved in the group. Rafa Benitez and Roy Hodgson have also been appointed, alongside Gareth Southgate, Sean Dyche, former Manchester United managers Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and ex-Tottenham bosses Thomas Frank and Ange Postecoglou.
The 47-year-old has previously stated that he wants to return to day-to-day club management. He dismissed suggestions that he was in contention to replace Koeman as Netherlands manager in an interview with Voetbal International.
“That speculation is incorrect. We simply never got to that stage of the talks,” Slot said.
“At this stage of my career, I prefer to see myself on the training field with my players every day, something that is simply not possible in the same way with a national team.
“I have a lot of respect for the national team and for the KNVB [Dutch Football Association] and can only be positive about the professional way in which the talks went that week. For now, I believe that club football still has a lot to offer me.”
The Netherlands subsequently appointed Spanish football icon Xavi, who signed a four-year contract running until the end of the 2030 World Cup.