Arne Slot shares whether he spoke to new Brighton signing Mats Wieffer about joining Liverpool

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There was plenty of intrigue on Friday as Arne Slot addressed the press for the first time as Liverpool head coach.

The Dutchman has now kicked pre-season off for the Reds as he continues to settle into life on Merseyside.

For Slot, it may have been a slight shock to see how many reporters were present at the AXA Training Centre. However, the new head coach handled things well.

From confirming he’s already spoken with Darwin Nunez to outlining what his tactical system could look like at Liverpool, Slot hit a number of interesting points.

Predictably, given that the transfer window is currently open, the Dutchman was also asked to comment on some ongoing rumours.

Arne Slot addresses Mats Wieffer rumours

Liverpool have so far kept their powder as dry as possible in the transfer market. In terms of incomings and outgoings, the Reds have been completely silent.

That does not mean that the rumour mill has not been swirling, though. Links to players such as Anthony Gordon, for example, have been rampant over recent days.

Another player to have reportedly been on Liverpool’s radar was Mats Wieffer. Being a – now former – Feyenoord player, claims that Wieffer was wanted by Slot had some obvious credibility.

Reports from the Netherlands suggested that Liverpool had made a late move to stop Wieffer from joining Brighton on Thursday.

READ MORE: All confirmed Liverpool incomings, outgoings, loans and releases for 2024/25

The 24-year-old’s £25m transfer to the South Coast has since been confirmed.

Asked by Dutch outlet 1908.nl if he did indeed make an attempt to bring his former midfielder to Anfield, Slot said that that simply was not the case.

“No, I haven’t spoken to Mats,” the 45-year-old confirmed, reportedly with a smile. “I really like to meet him, but I hope he doesn’t want to prove too much to his old trainer.”

Slot and Wieffer will meet at Anfield on November 2nd as Liverpool take on Brighton.

Why Liverpool didn’t want to sign Mats Wieffer

With Liverpool potentially looking to do some business for a defensive midfielder this summer, links to Wieffer made some sense.

The Netherlands international is obviously well known to Slot and understands what’s required to play midfield in his system.

For £25m, it also looks like a piece of business that would be more than manageable for Liverpool to do.

Nevertheless, it does seem as though the Reds were never truly in the frame for Wieffer at all. Reports on Friday suggested that Liverpool simply thought they did not need Wieffer.

With Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic and a whole host of other midfielders already in the Liverpool squad, the Reds reportedly saw no need to add another. Let’s see how he gets on at Brighton.