Arne Slot if facing major doubts over his future after a disappointing season at Anfield after a massive summer transfer spend
09:26, 04 Dec 2025
Steven Gerrard.
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Steven Gerrard.(Image: PA)
Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard is emerging as a potential replacement for Arne Slot amid rocketing pressure. But the murmur has split opinion among pundits and Anfield icons.
It was only in October that Gerrard knocked back the chance to return to Rangers and replace Russell Martin after talks with chairman Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe of 49ers Enterprises but walked away after several rounds of discussions. The former England international – who ended Celtic's stranglehold on the Scottish Premiership by bringing the title to Ibrox in 2021 – has admitted nagging doubts forced him to step away from a stunning return to Glasgow.
But that could have cleared the path for a sensational return to Merseyside. After winning the Premier League last season, Slot has steered the club to a run of just three wins in 13 games with the club languishing in eighth.
Gerrard has been out of work since leaving Al-Ettifaq in the midst of a disappointing Saudi Pro League season last term - which followed up a lacklustre tenure at Aston Villa. However, and interim role has been put on focus in recent days:
Jamie Carragher: Gerrard's former teammate has recommended that his former teammate is not in the frame for the job. Asked on The Overlap about a potential Slot succession plan involving Gerrard, he said: "No, I wouldn't imagine. He's been a manager at Villa and had great success at Rangers as well. He's a legendary figure and he's back, floating down Liverpool. I don't think most Liverpool fans will be screaming for Steven Gerrard – everyone is desperate for it to work for Arne Slot. They're on such a bad run, the flipside of that is then how long does it carry on?"
Emile Heskey: Another former teammate of Gerrard reckons the timing isn't right. He told BetBrain: "He needs more experience. He definitely needs more experience because if you're going into the biggest job, or one of the biggest jobs in the world, the scrutiny of everything you do or say or what the players do comes back on you. He'll need a lot more experience to jump into that hot seat to be honest."
Richard Keys: beIN Sports anchor Richard Keys cryptically connected Gerrard and his Ibrox knock back to the situation at his former club. He posted to X: "There is no way Steven Gerrard didn’t know about the probability of this upcoming opportunity when he turned Rangers down.”
Rio Ferdinand: With Slot's future in major doubt, Gerrard's former rival has told him to wait by the phone. He said on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast: "I was in Qatar over the last few days with Steven Gerrard. I was saying to him over some food the other day, 'Listen, you need to sharpen your tools mate. Sharpen your tools, get them ready, because you could be going back in as interim boss'. There are so many games coming up that I was thinking I don't see Slot getting through all of them in good enough condition, and I think the pressure from the terraces and the fan base might get too much and they might make a decision. In that climate, with someone like Steven Gerrard sitting there, a legend of the club – forget his tenures at different clubs. There's a legend of the football club ready to come in and just steady the ship for them. I wouldn't have been surprised if Steven Gerrard had gotten a call."
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Jurgen Klopp: Klopp openly said he thought the Liverpool icon would follow in his footsteps. Asked in 2021 if he saw Gerrard as a future Reds boss, he said: "Oh yes I do, absolutely. I believe it will definitely happen. Good for everyone."
Steven Gerrard: But what does the man himself think? After the endorsement by Klopp back in 2021, he admitted he was "surprised and flattered at the same time." But just last month he played down the pressure facing Slot and talk of a crisis for the champions: “Each defeat, especially the manner of defeat, you become closer to the crisis. I don’t like using the word crisis because a crisis to me is a club that needs years to get back to the top. I don’t think Liverpool are at that point at all. They’ve still got magnificent players. This is still the majority of a squad that won the league a few months ago. So I think ‘crisis’ is too strong. But you can’t deny that this team is struggling massively.”