Reports from Europe that Liverpool have initiated contact with a potential replacement for Arne Slot have been swiftly dismissed as ‘nonsense’.
The Dutchman is enduring the first prolonged rough spell of his time at Anfield, having lost eight of his last 11 matches in all competitions and seen the defending Premier League champions plummet to 12th in the table with a third of the season gone.
Both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have insisted that the 47-year-old remains the right man for the job, though, and Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that the LFC hierarchy continue to give their full backing to the incumbent head coach.
Dominic King rubbishes reports of Liverpool ‘contact’ with Nagelsmann
Over the past 24 hours, there had been reports from Germany that Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes had made ‘contact’ with Volker Struth, the agent of German national team manager Julian Nagelsmann.
However, on Tuesday lunchtime, Dominic King (Merseyside football correspondent for Mail Sport) took to X to dismiss those claims, stating: ‘Talk about Julian Nagelsmann being a contender to replace Slot: nonsense. He wasn’t a candidate to replace Klopp and Liverpool aren’t looking to change their head coach.’
Some German media claimed that Liverpool had contacted Julian Nagelsmann about potentially replacing Arne Slot at Anfield
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Slot still has the faith of the Liverpool hierarchy
With trusted sources such as Romano firmly indicating that Slot still have the backing of the Liverpool hierarchy, rumours of prospective replacements being lined up amid the Reds’ on-field woes appear to be well wide of the mark.
FSG showed patience with Jurgen Klopp when he endured a tough spell midway during his second season at Anfield, and they were duly rewarded as the German went on to deliver a plethora of major trophies to the club.
Nagelsmann might be in demand once next summer’s World Cup has concluded, with the 38-year-old’s contract with Germany set to expire after the tournament, but for now we can realistically dismiss any notion of him taking charge of LFC in the foreseeable future.
Right now, we’re not interested in hearing about any candidates to succeed Slot in the role as Liverpool head coach. As far as we’re concerned, the Dutchman is in situ until his deal expires in June 2027, and that might well be extended if he rediscovers the form of last season.
The 47-year-old could do with a swift upturn in fortunes to dispel any speculation over his position at Anfield, starting with the visit of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tomorrow night, but it’s been made clear by reliable sources that FSG have no intention of jettisoning him any time soon.