EXCLUSIVE Liverpool legend Michael Owen has rubbished talk of Arne Slot’s job being under pressure despite a chasm threatening to open up between the Reds and the top of the table
08:00, 08 Jan 2026
Arne Slot during a Liverpool game
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Major questions are being asked of Arne Slot and Liverpool's title defence(Image: Izzy Poles - AMA/Getty Images)
Liverpool legend Michael Owen has rubbished talk of Arne Slot’s job being under pressure despite the Reds potentially falling 17 points behind Arsenal if they lose on Thursday.
The champions head to the Emirates on Thursday night to take on the league leaders in what was billed at the start of the season as a crucial six-pointer in the title race. However, Liverpool’s wretched title defence leaves a huge gap between themselves and Mikel Arteta’s team.
Arsenal boast a 14-point gap over Liverpool heading into the fixture and will open up a chasm between the two sides if they pick up their sixth Premier League win in a row.
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, applauds the fans following victory at the end of the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Crystal Palace
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Liverpool take on Mikel Arteta's in-form defender(Image: (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images))
But Owen believes that any talk of Slot facing the sack is completely premature given the Premier League triumph he landed in his first season in the job.
He also pointed to Liverpool’s summer record transfer business of £446million and insisted that while most of the arrivals have failed to live up to expectation, Slot should be afforded time to make them work.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport via Casino.org, where he is UK ambassador, which helps players find the best casino online options in Britain, Owen said: “I think personally it's too early for that, I mean Liverpool in his first year he went and won the league, I mean it's unheard of and he did such a good job, a quite incredible job actually.
Michael Owen
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Michael Owen has backed Arne Slot to succeed(Image: SmartFrame/Every Second Media)
“I actually think he's done a very good job and the club have in terms of the signings. I think Isak is just an incredible player, I think Ekitike is amazing, I think Wirtz is just pure class. Frimpong’s decent.
“Kerkez has a little bit jury's out, but you know what, when they bought him, I wasn't jury out - I thought he was a very good signing.
“None of these signings at the start I thought ‘oh no, I wouldn't have done that.’ I thought they were all really good signings.
“And some of them will not work out, some of them will take time, some of them will turn into the best signings that we've seen in recent years.
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“They might be a mixed bag, but I'm certainly not an after timer saying ‘oh no I wouldn't have done any of those.’
“They invested heavily and I'm sure the long-term future is very good. They've bought young, this is just a period of time that they're struggling I guess.
“I certainly think it's way too early to be talking about manager under pressure personally.”