Arne Slot is set to battle on as Liverpool's head coach following discussions with the club's top brass, despite Jurgen Klopp's looming presence over Anfield.
The Reds' 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday marked their worst form in over seven decades. After kicking off their Premier League title defence with five consecutive victories, Liverpool then suffered four successive defeats and has yet to bounce back.
Consequently, Slot finds himself under immense pressure to reverse this downward spiral. Speaking to the press on Thursday, the Dutchman vowed to persevere, stating: "No matter how difficult it is, we need to fight together".
The Liverpool manager's job is not currently at risk, but that hasn't quelled speculation about potential successors should he leave Anfield in the near future.
Klopp is the bookies' favorite to make a dramatic comeback to Anfield just over a year after his departure. The German led Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2019 before securing the Merseyside club's first league title in 30 years the following season.
Addressing the rumors in the German publication BILD, journalist Marcel Reif declared: "Liverpool isn't just in a mess. It's practically burned to the ground!
Liverpool boss Slot has come under scrutiny
Liverpool boss Slot has come under scrutiny (Image: Getty Images)
"The timing of this statement (Klopp on Diary of a CEO) is terrible for Slot. He’s hovering over Anfield like a UFO. All of Liverpool would carry him back on their shoulders. And it would be negligent if they didn’t try to bring Klopp back.
"In Liverpool, the scar from his departure is far from healed. I don’t know what it’s like being Global Head of Soccer and whether you ever start to wonder, 'Is this really me?'
"He was exhausted after that time. It took its toll. Now he looks very rested. Almost as if Arne Slot has to watch out."
Reif's remarks emerge just days after Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness suggested that Klopp won't stay in his Red Bull position long-term.
He said: "I could never imagine him as an official travelling around the country, to New York, looking after the various teams. And I don’t think that will be a good model in the long run. I also don’t think he’ll do that forever; I can’t imagine it.
"I have always admired Jurgen Klopp as a coach who is on the pitch, who develops a team, who moves a team forward with his personality. I see Jurgen Klopp on the pitch and nowhere else."
Klopp suggested it is "theoretically possible" he could one day make a comeback as Liverpool manager during a recent interview on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast.
He said: "I said I will never coach another team, a different team, in England. So that means if then it's Liverpool... yeah. Theoretically, it's possible."