Wesley Sneijder has warned incoming Liverpool head coach Arne Slot not to fall into a potential trap when it comes to recruitment at Anfield.
The ex-Real Madrid and Netherlands legend spoke of his own experiences of being part of a heavy Dutch contingent at the Bernabeu in the late 2000s, and how that led to a clique forming in the dressing room.
The 39-year-old advised (via FC Update): “I would be careful with that, with bringing in too many Dutch people. I experienced that in Madrid. When I came, only Ruud van Nistelrooy, Royston Drenthe and Arjen Robben were there. The following year, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart arrived.
“If the four of us play football somewhere, we won’t talk to each other in Spanish, you will still continue to speak in your mother tongue. You shouldn’t attract too many Dutch people.”
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There has been a theme with previous Liverpool managers of leaning towards signings from their native country – the late Gerard Houllier brought numerous French players to Anfield in the early 2000s, while there was a distinct Spanish flavour to the recruitment under Rafael Benitez.
Some of those turned out to be smash hits (Fernando Torres is the standout) but many others flopped badly, while Sneijder’s warnings about a potential Dutch clique emerging under Slot are pertinent.
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The Reds already have three players from the 45-year-old’s homeland in Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, and we’ve already seen Feyenoord players and Oranje internationals such as Lutsharel Geertruida being linked with potential moves to Anfield.
Liverpool fans couldn’t care less about the nationalities of players, or the country-by-country composition of the squad, so long as the team on the pitch is performing well and challenging for major trophies.
Nonetheless, Sneijder’s anecdote is something for Slot to keep in mind when he comes to Merseyside, even if his job title as head coach means he’ll have less of a say in transfer activity than outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp enjoyed.