Liverpool will finish this season without silverware after a tricky period under Arne Slot, but the Reds are almost certain to qualify for next term’s Champions League
Arne Slot is under pressure at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
At times this season, it’s felt like the writing is on the wall for Arne Slot.
The 3-0 Premier League loss to struggling Nottingham Forest was a low point, as was Manchester City’s 4-0 FA Cup triumph. The Reds are about to complete a trophy-less season, something which is rarely acceptable at Anfield.
Yet Slot is on the verge of achieving the bare minimum at Liverpool: qualifying for the Champions League. His players need just four more points from their final three games to book their spot at Europe’s top soccer table. It’s easy to assume that’s enough for Slot, who still has plenty of credit in the bank thanks to last year’s Premier League title win, to get another season in the hot seat.
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But the situation isn’t quite that simple.
That’s because Slot is about to enter the final year of his contract. With little sign of a new deal on the way, fans are beginning to wonder whether a change is in the offing on Merseyside.
After all, it’s not like there’s any shortage of contenders for the Reds job. Xabi Alonso is an obvious candidate, considering his stellar work at Bayer Leverkusen — leading the German club to its first-ever Bundesliga title — and links to Liverpool from his playing days.
Andoni Iraola is a candidate to replace Slot at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
There are doubts over whether Alonso is the right man for the job because of his willingness to deploy a back three, but perhaps it isn’t a bad thing if the Reds change their style of play after this mess of a season.
Another man linked to the Liverpool job is Andoni Iraola, the young Bournemouth coach on the verge of leading the club into Europe.
When Iraola announced that he would leave Bournemouth last month, many of us — myself included — assumed that he would take the Athletic Bilbao job. Yet that’s not happening, as Edin Terzic has just accepted the role.
Real Madrid could still come calling for Iraola, but it appears he’s edging toward staying in the Premier League.
And maybe the Liverpool job would be the perfect one for him, considering Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, was the man who hired Iraola for Bournemouth three years ago.
It’s fair to say Slot deserves another season in charge at Liverpool. He overachieved by winning the title in his first campaign and has all but secured Champions League qualification in his second, all while dealing with the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
But it’s going to be near impossible for Slot to do his job under the cloud of a one-year contract.
And that is why Liverpool is almost certain to make a decision on Slot’s future this summer: they will either fire him or hand out a new contract, putting to bed any speculation over his future. To use a British phrase, it’s time for Liverpool to back or sack Slot.