'To be fair': Arne Slot shares what he did before hiring John Heitinga at Liverpool due to Everton 'legacy'
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Arne Slot has endured a stunning start to life as Liverpool boss since replacing Jurgen Klopp at the helm.
The Reds find themselves a point behind Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table and have lost just once in 14 games across all competitions.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | Man CityManchester City | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 23 |
| 2 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 22 |
| 3 | ArsenalArsenal | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 18 |
| 4 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | ChelseaChelsea | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 17 |
Slot and his coaching staff have earned rave reviews for their work so far, with the Dutchman bringing Sipke Hulshoff and Ruben Peeters with him to the club.
John Heitinga was added to his team a little later and the Liverpool boss has made an interesting admission on his arrival.
Arne Slot did due diligence before John Heitinga’s Liverpool arrival
Heitinga serves as Slot’s assistant coach at Liverpool, having previously played that role under David Moyes at West Ham United before his dismissal.
The Dutchman was a cult figure at Everton during his playing days and made over 100 appearances for the club between 2009 and 2014.
Slot admits he asked around to check if Heitinga’s association with Everton would be an issue at Anfield, to which he received a rather straightforward response.
"We added John Heitinga to the staff – he's a very good person and a manager. I just said 'very good person', and for me that's vital.”
“To be fair, I asked around if it [Heitinga’s Everton connection] would be a problem and the reaction was the only problem could be for himself because of the legacy he has at Everton.
“I don't think the Everton fans really like seeing him over here. But I don't know about that exactly. What I do know is that he's a young but very talented manager who works his _ off every day."
What has Slot previously said about Heitinga?
When asked about Heitinga’s arrival during Liverpool’s pre-season tour in the USA, Slot said the Dutchman’s Premier League experience played a huge role in his decision to get him on.
"John has played many games in the Premier League and last season he was an assistant coach at West Ham, so brings experience as a player, but also as an assistant in this league.
"He worked with someone that I know really well, and the two of us have quite a similar playing style, so I think it's not going to take long for him to understand exactly what we want with the players."
