Arne Slot headed into his debut season at Liverpool amid questions as to how he would match Jürgen Klopp.

To his credit, he is now on the threshold of inviting permanent comparisons to the early work of Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Barring a calamitous Premier League slump, Slot’s extended Anfield honeymoon will deliver the title Liverpool covet most. A season edging closer to being historic may yet become one of epic grandeur if there is more than one trophy lift, Wednesday’s Champions League round-of-16 tie against Paris St-Germain the latest critical juncture.

Sober judges will point out the Merseyside club are in familiar territory, and not just because they are reacquainting themselves with the hospitality of the French capital’s police force in pursuit of another Champions League.

Liverpool have often flirted with the possibility of claiming multiple honours in the latter stages of recent campaigns, scuppered by obstacles foreseen and untimely; stuff like Manchester City’s relentless brilliance, Real Madrid’s stranglehold on the European Cup, or the misguided belief Loris Karius could play in goal in a major final.

Real, who beat Liverpool on the club’s last traumatic Paris trip in 2022, may yet be the European nemesis again should Slot’s side proceed as far as the semi-finals, which is hardly a formality given the toughness of the knockout draw.

But ahead of the demanding and glamorous tie at Parc des Princes, Liverpool are in the enviable position of knowing a single trophy this season will feel both deeply satisfying and at least one less than anticipated given their current form. The greater the opportunity, the greedier they should be.

Should Liverpool preserve their healthy lead over Arsenal, the Premier League crown will eclipse all.

Adding the Champions League and Carabao Cup could elevate Slot’s debut season among the club’s greatest, mirroring the achievement of Fagan in 1984, another of those managerial titans who built on the foundations laid by his illustrious predecessor, Paisley.

A Premier League in Slot’s first year would still guarantee similar status given the circumstances in which he took over – the Dutchman is approaching the first anniversary of the secret of his appointment getting out and being told replacing Klopp was “impossible”. Finishing English champions the year after Klopp’s exit would also allow Slot to replicate Dalglish, who won the title at his first attempt as player-manager as part of the Double in 1986.

“My thoughts are not so much on these types of things,” said Slot, when pressed directly on the Fagan comparison, maintaining the policy rooted in boot-room tradition of avoiding looking too far ahead.

Liverpool’s manager would also not accept flattering tributes about what his side have achieved so far, saying the most truthful declarations can be made in May.

“The best team in Europe needs to win the Champions League and we are a long way from that. The best team in Europe is Real Madrid because they won it last season,” he said.

Klopp regularly found himself with the same multi-trophy ambitions in March. He chased a Premier League and Champions League double twice. On two occasions there was quadruple talk, Liverpool two wins away in 2022 and falling away in this month a year ago.

His reign was one of unrelenting opportunity, a golden age for major honours juxtaposed by a lingering sense it could have been even better had numerous chances not agonisingly slipped from his grasp; seven major trophies were won, and six times Liverpool were runners-up either in finals or last day Premier League shoot-outs.

Now the seamless transition from Klopp to Slot means Liverpool have another shot at immortality, the Dutchman cultivating his side’s blooming potential on the fertile ground left to him.

There is enough time in the campaign for euphoria and deflation to keep wrestling, the title far from won despite neutrals declaring it a formality, and Newcastle United’s yearning for silverware guaranteeing there will be no more motivated Wembley opponent in the League Cup.

Liverpool’s reward for topping the Champions League table was not as appetising as the Paris bistro menus because PSG were among those the top seeds most wanted to avoid.

“That’s clear. I see PSG as one of the strongest teams in Europe,” Slot said. “It’s a great fixture for everyone who loves football. In my opinion, this PSG team is better than last season’s.”

Luis Enrique, their head coach, was similarly effusive in his praise of the Premier League leaders.

“On paper, it is one of the best matches you can watch in Europe,” he said.

Given the possibilities which lay directly ahead, it seems entirely fitting Liverpool’s treble quest demands they navigate their way through a city famed for its most passionate gestures.

If Slot maintains the same form to rule European and English football, his first Anfield dates will rank among football’s greatest whirlwind romances.