Arne Slot names two ‘outstanding’ West Ham players good enough for Liverpool
Liverpool manager Arne Slot was left impressed by two members of the West Ham United side in their match on Sunday.
Liverpool came out on top of a closely contested game at Anfield on 13 April, with the Reds going one step closer to lifting the Premier League after a 2-1 win.
Luis Diaz put Liverpool in the lead after 18 minutes in what was a fairly comfortable start for the league leaders, but Graham Potter’s men stepped up and started to cause their opponents plenty of problems.
The Hammers were left frustrated at the break after missing several opportunities at Anfield, but they eventually found the back of the net in the 86th minute via an Andy Robertson own goal.
Unfortunately, West Ham were unable to hold onto that draw as Virgil van Dijk scored Liverpool’s winner in the 89th minute.
Slot impressed by West Ham pair
It might not have been the result that West Ham were looking for at Anfield, but there were plenty of positives to take from their performance as far as Potter is concerned.
The result leaves West Ham 17th in the Premier League table, but the closely fought contest is an indication of just how high the standard can be in the English top flight.
| Stats | Liverpool | West Ham |
| Shots | 15 | 11 |
| Possession | 55% | 45% |
| Passes | 492 | 406 |
| Fouls | 15 | 8 |
That’s something that Slot is learning first-hand this season, and two players within the West Ham squad particularly caught his eye, as he explained in his post-match press conference.
Slot said: “I think they’re 16th or 17th in the league, but I can name you one or two players that could easily have played with us today as well in terms of quality.
“That is what the Premier League is about. And they used them more and more in the second half, these two quality players. And they have more, but I think [Lucas] Paqueta and [Mohammed] Kudus were outstanding today, especially in the second half.”
West Ham must work hard to keep their key players
Slot naming Paqueta and Kudus as two standout players will not come as a huge shock to West Ham fans due to the quality of both footballers, albeit they have both underwhelmed this season.
The fact that they’re getting praise from opposing managers could be a worrying sign for the Hammers as they’re likely going to face offers for both men in the summer transfer window.
The Irons are expected to be active in the summer transfer window as Potter wants to bring in his own players, but that doesn’t mean he wants to lose out on the quality he already has within the squad.
Keeping hold of Kudus and Paqueta will be an important situation for the Irons this summer, allowing Potter to bring in new additions around them.