The Turkey international was a star player for Slot at Feyenoord, captaining the club when the Dutch tactician guided them to the Eredivisie title in 2022/23.
Kokcu has continued to shine during his time with Benfica, and a recent report from Football Insider claimed Liverpool were keen on signing him.
Kokcu himself has now been quoted by Record as saying how much of a fan he is of Slot, crediting him for making him the player he is now, whilst also describing the LFC manager as the best coach in the world.
“He made me the player I am today. He is the best coach in the world,” Kokcu said of Slot, as per Record.
Orkun Kokcu in action for Benfica (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
Will Arne Slot work with Orkun Kokcu again?
Liverpool would surely do well to snap up a talent like Kokcu, with the 23-year-old looking like someone who’s capable of playing at the very highest level.
The Reds already have a lot of quality in midfield, but Kokcu looks like someone who could give them something a little different in terms of spark and creativity from that area of the pitch.
We’ve seen Manchester City and Arsenal have success in recent times with Kevin De Bruyne and Martin Odegaard, respectively, in that kind of creative midfield role, so Liverpool could do well to try replicating that with someone like Kokcu.
Benfica surely won’t want to sell Kokcu as he’s one of their most important players, but it also seems inevitable that they’re going to have serious bidders for him sooner or later.
The Portuguese giants have also often sold their star names in the past, including Darwin Nunez, who moved to Liverpool a couple of years ago from the Lisbon club.
