He ticks every box: FSG can't miss deal to appoint ideal Arne Slot successor

Liverpool took on Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.

It was a bloodbath.

Although the Premier League champions “only” lost 2-0 it was a thorough dismantling. PSG proved once again their Champions League credentials - a year on from winning the tournament for the first time in their history.

Gone are the days of PSG being a byword for a bloated star-first model. In the space of a year between 2023 and 2024 they waved goodbye to Neymar, Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Kylian Mbappe and more.

Their much-vaunted front three were making somewhere in the region of €200m a year between them and had no Champions League to show for it.

The departure of leading goalscorer Mbappe was acrimonious but PSG emerged even stronger after his exit.

Instead of following the template set down over previous iterations of PSG the club followed a different path.

Under sporting director Luis Campos they invested in younger players, lean, hungry and destined to improve as the years went by.

And it all came together under the tutelage of Luis Enrique.

Luis Enrique is the conductor of the PSG orchestra

Signed in 2023 the Spanish head coach led his team to the treble in his second season in charge. Ousmane Dembele - so long a punchline - won the Ballon d’Or under his care.

PSG’s business acumen has sharpened under Campos but the conductor of this orchestra is Luis Enrique.

It doesn’t bear repeating how quickly PSG get the ball forward, their dazzling ability one-v-one especially out wide, their interchangeability across practically all positions, their willingness and work ethic. Not to mention Luis Enrique's contentment to use his academy players.

In short they are everything Liverpool hope to be - as evidenced by Arne Slot’s frequent allusions to the French capital side over the course of the past year.

With Mo Salah and potentially Alisson Becker leaving this summer - not to mention Virgil van Dijk following suit in another 12 months - they are facing the kind of rebuild that PSG had to do under Luis Enrique.

So why not go for him to oversee the work?

FSG need to test the waters for Luis Enrique

A report in Football Transfers claims that Real Madid are targeting Luis Enrique to arrive as their new head coach this summer. Although the 55-year-old appears content in Paris there is speculation over his future given his current deal only runs until 2027.

Madrid clearly believe there’s a chance he will return to a club he represented as a player. But if FSG don’t AT LEAST reach out to the double treble-winner they will be doing a disservice to all the hard work they’ve done over the years at Anfield.

FSG want to reduce the wage bill, Liverpool are seeking one-v-one quality on the wings, the club has to transition away from established, well-paid superstars and trust the academy players more.

Luis Enrique has proven to be the man to undertake all this work during his so-far brief stay at the Parc des Princes.

It would be a tough sell - especially with Liverpool unsure of even being in the Champions League next season. But Luis Enrique ticks all the boxes right now and even Real Madrid know it.

🔴 Shop the LFC 2025/26 adidas home range

👉🏻 A new centre-back is COMING to Liverpool

👉🏻 Liverpool finally replace Trent Alexander-Arnold with brilliant playmaker

👉🏻 Centre-back confirms he's ready to join Liverpool