Liverpool fans are dreaming of a surprise return for Jurgen Klopp after seeing their team plumb new depths under Arne Slot.
Slot has led the Reds to six Premier League defeats in seven matches, a shocking record for any Liverpool manager.
It feels unlikely that the Dutchman will lose his job immediately, but things clearly cannot continue in this manner. If they do, Slot will surely be gone.
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Liverpool should have three names on their managerial shortlist if that does happen, but top of that list should be Klopp. Some may see the German’s return as being impossible after his exit in 2024, but here are four reasons why an interim comeback until May might actually make complete sense for everyone.
Jurgen Klopp gives a thumbs up during his goodbye ceremony as Liverpool manager at Anfield.
Photo by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC/Wolves via Getty Images
1. Liverpool players need to get their smile back
Arguably the biggest issue facing Liverpool this season is that they simply do not look to be enjoying their football.
They are understandably fragile mentally following the tragic loss of their friend and teammate Diogo Jota in July, and that grief looks to have manifested in an inability to react to turmoil during matches.
While Slot did a magnificent job guiding his players back to the pitch in the summer, and should be commended for the way he handled himself and represented the club in the days following Jota’s passing, he does not seem able to lift them at the moment.
That is something Klopp does best. The 58-year-old has a way of connecting with people that instantly puts them at ease. As many of the Liverpool squad have an existing relationship with him, they would surely be lifted by seeing their former boss come back.
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2. Short-term gig would work for everyone
The reason Klopp left Liverpool last year was simple: he was not enjoying the day-to-day grind anymore and had completely run out of energy.
With a-year-and-a-half now away from the club, Klopp looks to have had his energy restored. He may not want to manage full-time anymore, but a six-month return would be a different matter entirely.
READ MORE: Arne Slot has hinted at how Liverpool can get out of their slump but it simply does not stand up
Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
Arne Slot following Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Knowing that the job has a definite end date should allow the Champions League winner to throw everything into it. In short, Liverpool would probably be getting the best version of Klopp possible.
He knows many of the players and knows the club inside out. If Slot does need to go, then who better to bridge the gap?
3. Jurgen Klopp can get the best out of Florian Wirtz
There are some players who Klopp has not worked with before at Liverpool, with most of them arriving over the summer.
There was huge excitement over Florian Wirtz‘s arrival from Bayer Leverkusen, but the German’s failure to hit the ground running has contributed to Liverpool’s appalling start to the campaign.
Whereas Slot seems unable to get the best out of him, Klopp has raved about Wirtz on more than one occasion since he joined Liverpool.
The former Liverpool manager knew exactly how to use Philippe Coutinho during his time at Anfield, and although his best Reds team did not include a No. 10, you would back Klopp to absolutely find the best way to use his compatriot. That could be key.
Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
“I want to emphasis one more time that I am responsible for the current losses. You are responsible when you’re winning, but you are also responsible when you’re losing.”
Arne Slot after Liverpool’s defeat to Nottingham Forest
Liverpool's Dutch manager Arne Slot reacts during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
4. Klopp knows how to win the Champions League
Arguably the only way for Liverpool to save their season this year is to win a seventh Champions League title in Budapest.
Although results have been awful in the Premier League, their form in Europe has been one small positive for the Reds this term. If they can get out of this patch by New Year, they still have a chance in the Champions League.
Having taken Liverpool to three finals, Klopp certainly knows how to guide a team through a European campaign. He would surely relish the chance to put the record straight and win a deserved second Champions League title.
Klopp’s reign ended on a slight whimper, without securing any of the ‘big two’ trophies in his final year. He deserved to go out in a better way than that, and maybe it was always meant to be that he would come back to be Liverpool’s knight in shining armour and deliver number seven?
It still feels unlikely to happen, but anyone arguing that Klopp would not be the right man for this particular job are only fooling themselves. It would be magical to have him back.