What Arne Slot told his wife about Jamie Carragher speaks volumes | Football | Sport

Jamie Carragher met Liverpool head coach Arne Slot during his summer break, with the Dutchman curiously presenting the former defender to his wife and children as a «Champions League winner» – a moment that resonated deeply with the pundit. The Reds secured Premier League glory last season, yet their European ambitions were crushed in the last 16 by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The Merseyside club boasts a magnificent European heritage and stands as England’s most accomplished team on the continental stage, having last conquered Europe in 2019. Slot is eager to leave his mark in the Champions League, and Carragher observed how it was specifically his European achievements that prompted the introduction when he encountered the Liverpool boss and his family.

Carragher featured in the legendary 2005 squad that delivered the Miracle of Istanbul. He would subsequently appear in another final two years afterwards, and the former player believes Slot’s hunger for European glory burns intensely.

He told Sky Sports: «I bumped into Slot last summer when we were both away on holiday. We were with our families and I thanked him for what they’d done last season and he introduced me as a Champions League winner to his wife and kids.

«I almost felt like he was suggesting that was his next step, I could feel it the way he said it. We’ve won won the league, but now we want the Champions League and its just stuck with me. You can feel he wants that.»

Liverpool have secured victory in three of their four matches to kick off this year’s competition – dispatching both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at Anfield.

They last reached the final in 2022 under Jurgen Klopp and, given their substantial summer spending spree, Carragher acknowledges expectation levels will rise with the semi-finals representing the bare minimum target.

Despite overcoming PSG in their first-leg encounter in the French capital last season, a defeat at Anfield led to a penalty shootout, which the Parisians claimed.

PSG earned widespread praise for their approach last season, defeating Aston Villa and Arsenal before overcoming Inter Milan in the final.

And Carragher has observed Slot’s admiration for the Paris club, even suggesting he could accept their Champions League defeat to PSG given their playing style.

«I think Slot has a little obsession with the Champions League,» he said. «He spoke abut PSG a lot last season, off the back of losing to them, he speaks so well of them he almost admired losing to that team and the fact they won it. And the way they won it, they way they played in the final, I think he loves managers whose teams play like that.»