Liverpool boss Arne Slot may have ruined £100m transfer with touchline behaviour

Arne Slot appeared to release his inner Jurgen Klopp for the first time during their frustrating draw with Newcastle on Wednesday. In doing so, the Liverpool boss might well have scared off one of their reportedly long-term transfer targets, Bruno Guimaraes.

Guimaraes has long been linked with a £100million move away from St James’ Park, with Liverpool and Manchester City amongst the teams rumoured to be interested.

But the Merseyside outfit haven’t done themselves any favours if they are interested in pursuing the Brazilian after their six-goal thriller earlier this week.

Newcastle twice led through Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, only to be pegged back by Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones. Salah then bagged his second of the night on 83 minutes, which looked as if it would be the winner.

But Fabian Schar delivered a late equaliser to ensure the spoils would be shared between the two sides after a breathless contest. Throwing away those two points could prove to be crucial come the end of the season, as Liverpool’s lead at the top has been cut from nine points to seven.

Slot, who has guided the Reds to 11 wins from 14 league games in charge, felt his side deserved to take all three points from the game and was frustrated with how they squandered their advantage.

“I’ve said many times already to the other media there were moments in the game where you thought if we could come away from here with a draw it would be a good result, but those moments were mainly in the first half,” Slot said.

“In the second half, especially after we scored for 1-1, I thought we were really impressive. We created so many opportunities, good chances. Then, one minute before the end being 3-2 up, it feels like a disappointment to drop two points.”

But Slot’s words and actions did not reflect well in the eyes of Guimaraes, who disagreed with the Dutchman’s assessment of the game – claiming the Toon’s performance at St James’ Park merited a victory.

“A mix of emotions about today’s game,” Guimaraes wrote on social media. “Happy to have reached 100 games in the Premier League and to have helped with two assists, but I believe we deserved a better outcome.”

Slot’s comments were the tip of the iceberg as far as Newcastle were concerned. The hosts were also unhappy that the 46-year-old coach entered referee Andy Madley’s dressing room at half-time, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe addressing the incident after the game.

The importance of player-manager relationships cannot be understated in deciding players’ futures in the modern game and Guimaraes, 26, may think twice about joining Slot at Anfield if they make a move after gaining a first-hand glimpse into his touchline conduct.

While Klopp was an animated figure, the universally-respected coach is still adored by the Kop and players in the top flight. If Slot is to truly win them over – and lure players of Guimaraes’ ilk to L4 – he would be wise to take a leaf out of his book.