Q&AArne Slot press conference: Transfer deadline, Chiesa, Mamardashvili and Man Utd

The head coach was quizzed by reporters about transfers ahead of the deadline, the Reds' business this summer and Sunday's game at Old Trafford.

Read everything he had to say…

On the signings of Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili...

Of course we are happy with the ones we signed because I said many times that it's difficult for us to make the team even stronger because we already have a very strong team. And if we then find them, of course we are very happy with that. Chiesa is someone who can help us for the short term and Mamardashvili is, I think, one of the examples where this club did in the past very good that they look also at the future, long-term future of the club – and that's why we signed him.

• Get your 'Chiesa 14' Liverpool shirt at our online store here

On the chances of arrivals on deadline day...

I'm not expecting anything. But again, it's no different to all the days before – if we see an opportunity, we could act. But I'm not expecting anything.

On Caoimhin Kelleher's future and whether 'he has a decision to make on his future'...

Maybe, but we have to make decisions as well. It's not only the player. I think if you work at a club like Liverpool, you need competition and we need a lot of good players. And like I said, Mamardashvili is someone for the long future of the club and I'm really, really happy with the goalkeepers we have at the moment. Caoimhin is one of them, like Vite [Vitezslav Jaros] and Ali [Alisson Becker]. So, we're in a good place when it comes to goalkeepers for now and for the long term.

On facing Man United in pre-season and how different an experience it will be on Sunday...

It's going to be different, of course, because when we played them in the States I think it was 50-50 [with] the fans. The stadium was somewhere the same – I think it was 80,000 or something like this – but the atmosphere will be completely different, of course, because I'm not expecting half of the stadium that they are cheering for us or they are in favour for us – I would be surprised if it happens! So, that's going to be different but what makes it more different is that both teams have a lot of different players on the pitch. So you can't compare that game with the game on Sunday.

On what he's been told about Liverpool-Man United fixtures...

Some of them tried to tell me a few things about it, but I don't think that's really necessary. If you're starting to work at Liverpool, everybody knows, every player that comes in knows and every manager that comes in knows how important the game against United is. It's similar to when you work at Feyenoord, how big the game against Ajax is. People tell you, of course, but it's not really necessary because if you follow the game of football, which I do for a long time, you know the importance of Liverpool against United or United against Liverpool.

On his relationship with Erik ten Hag...

As good and as normal as the relationship you have with many other managers. Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy have joined him and the relationship with the both of them is also the same as with Erik. I would call that very good because all of us respect each other a lot because of what these managers did at their former clubs and they've been successful – all three of them – at the clubs they've worked at in the past. So, there's a good relationship between us.

On if he's 'friends' with Ten Hag...

No, not friends. Friends is something else, I think, but a very good relationship. But a friend is someone you see a lot and you go out with either to dinner [or]… but that's not something we've done in the past. For that, we don't know each other well enough.

On whether the fans have to be 'patient' with Chiesa and how excited he is to work with him...

Excited. Like I said before, if we sign someone that can help us [in] achieving our goals and improve the squad, if we then find someone, of course you're really excited that we brought him in. I think one of the best things of working here, what I've noticed until now, is the culture of the team. They work really hard to try to achieve their goals. And I think it's really important that the first player you bring in has that same attitude and brings the same culture.

He works really hard on and off the pitch to try to get the best out of himself, and he combines this with scoring goals and, like I said, [being] really aggressive without the ball – those are already two characteristics with him. With him [able to play] so many positions – on the right, on the left and maybe even in the middle – it makes him an interesting signing for us. Although I agree with you, we should take care of him in the beginning because he didn't train with the team in the last two weeks – but before he did. [He] hasn't played many game minutes yet but we have a very good performance staff, so we will build him up in the right way and then hopefully we can see his quality in the near future.

• Arne Slot on potential Federico Chiesa debut and Liverpool injury news

On preparing the team for Sunday's trip to Old Trafford...

I think preparing for every game takes a lot of time and one of the most important things is if you prepare them for what they can expect. What they can expect is mostly about the players they [will] face, but I think now playing in a hostile environment with 75,000 [fans], players have to be aware of that. The good thing for me is it might be my first time that I go there with Liverpool – it is going to be my second time over there – but many of these players have played there before, so I don't think I have to prepare them for these 75,000. They are used to this. I have to prepare them in the best possible way for what they can expect because United play, in my opinion, a bit different than the last two seasons, therefore I need to prepare them.

On whether Chiesa's injury record is 'overexaggerated'...

It wouldn't be the first time the English media overexaggerate! I think it is true he had a long-term injury with his ACL, but for the rest I don't think he had big injuries. Minor injuries like every other player maybe. We have a lot of trust in our performance staff and the good thing is he is not the only winger we have: he is one out of four, where some others can play in that position as well. If he is not available at certain moments – not only with him, also the others – then there is still enough players for me to choose.

On whether there are likely to be any outgoings on deadline day...

Again, same [as] for incoming transfers or loans – if it's the right opportunity for the player and for us as a club, we will act. If that opportunity comes for the both of us, it will happen. But to be honest, my main attention is on United and not on the outgoing ones.

On his own previous visit to Old Trafford...

The moment I said it I thought, 'Hmm... it's not so smart if people don't know that I have been there before...' because we lost 4-0 with one of my former clubs. I think it was in the Europa League when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still there. So, that wasn't the best experience but although we had a very good team back then with AZ Alkmaar – and at home we played a 0-0 against them – I think I have a better team now to go to Old Trafford, but you cannot compare anything, of course.

On whether he feels there is 'always pressure against the ball' in England, regardless of the opposition...

What I see is not that there is always pressure on the ball – not every team has a high press. Most of them do, though, but not every team has. The physicality of the league is much, much, much higher than we are used to in Holland. So, in Holland if you face the 10 to 18 [clubs] then there's a lot less physicality, but when we played Ipswich in the first half they conceded a few yellows which in Holland maybe would have been a red card. That's a bit exaggerated, so I get used to the English media! But like I said, it's much harder to win against the number 10 to 18 than it is in Holland if you are Ajax or Feyenoord or PSV.

On the plan for Harvey Elliott...

Like all the others, it's the same. I think the disadvantage for some of them without having a lot of playing time is we only have one game a week, so we don't have to manage game time in that perspective. Harvey came in 10 minutes, it's not a lot but he – like some others who are not playing – has a lot of competition. That's one of the reasons why we only brought in one player because we think we have a lot of good players and we already have a lot of competition. Harvey will get, in my opinion, a lot of playing time if he keeps doing what he does at the moment – work really hard, show his quality when he comes in. He already showed his quality in pre-season, but he is in competition at this moment. If you look at the player who is playing in his position, it is Dom Szoboszlai, who has done well in the first two games as well. It's a luxury to have the choice between the two of them.