Orkun Kökcü and Arne Slot have not lost sight of each other yet. The Benfica midfielder is full of praise for the current manager of Liverpool, who are leaders in the Premier League. ‘Slot is the best trainer in the world.’
Köckü and Slot worked together at Feyenoord for two years. That ended after the 2022/23 season. The Rotterdam team crowned themselves champions of the Netherlands and saw Köcku leave for Benfica. In conversation with TRT Spor, the Turkish international once again expressed his appreciation for Slot, who in his opinion is the best trainer in the world.
‘Slot is like a father to me. He made me who I am,” Kökcü said. ‘Slot gave my game a boost in the first season. We reached the final of the Conference League and a number of clubs from England’s top six showed interest. Ultimately the transfer did not go through. The following season he appointed me captain and my responsibility increased.’
It didn’t all go smoothly at Benfica. Under Roger Schmidt, Kökcü went through a difficult phase. The ex-PSV coach put the 23-year-old midfielder on the bench. At that time, Slot sent messages to Kökcü to encourage him. After Schmidt’s departure, Kökcü was back in the starting line-up and reportedly even attracted interest from Liverpool.
Kökcü also spoke about his collaboration with Robin van Persie. “We played together for a season,” the former Feyenoord player recalled. “He loved coaching young boys and taught me to play with my chest out.”
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