With Arne Slot's position at Liverpool becoming more precarious, the name Jurgen Klopp has inevitably been mentioned, and one legend believes the club would like him back
15:08, 12 Mar 2026
Jurgen Klopp is yet to return to frontline management since leaving Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is yet to return to frontline management since leaving Liverpool(Image: Caean Couto/Getty Images)
The greatest compliment you could pay Arne Slot in his first season at Liverpool is that he stepped out of the shadow of Jurgen Klopp.
But now that the sun has shifted, the long shade cast by the legendary figure has engulfed the Dutchman once more. This season would have been frustrating at just about any point in Liverpool's storied history. But the turgid, ponderous football is like torture when the memory of Klopp's heavy-metal football is still so fresh.
There were losses under Klopp, but at least he died by the sword: you felt as though you could always see a plan, some abstract "Liverpool Way" toward which he was aspiring. Perhaps that's a case of red-tinted revisionism (Slot raised eyebrows when he reminded fans how recently the Reds were meekly exiting the Europa League under his predecessor), but such is the nature of legends: they are embellished and airbrushed, leaving impossible legacies for those who follow.
READ MORE: Arne Slot future debated as his 'time at Liverpool is coming to an end'READ MORE: Real Madrid star tells Liverpool players what to expect if Xabi Alonso replaces Arne Slot
Two men who won't get caught up in this rewriting of history are Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards. Data men through and through, they will not allow the mere memory of Klopp to chase Slot out of a job.
But there's no denying that the data doesn't look that great at the moment for Slot either. The numbers only partly back up his repeated claims of bad luck; Understat's "expected points" model puts Liverpool 3.24 points better off than they currently are, but 51 from 29 games is still a record undeserving of Champions League qualification in a normal season.
As a result, it's only right that some kind of pressure is beginning to build on Slot. The latest noise out of the camp is that his position is safe for the time being, but it's a matter of common sense that there needs to be signs of improvement in the not-too-distant future.
Arne Slot will need to oversee some improvement if he's to remain in post at Liverpool
Arne Slot will need to oversee some improvement if he's to remain in post at Liverpool(Image: MB Media/Getty Images)
Liverpool legend John Aldridge believes that if Slot were to go, the Reds would jump at the chance to get Klopp back. He joked that he would put in a word soon.
"We've got a massive charity game at Anfield in a week and a half's time and I'm on the staff with Jurgen Klopp, so I’m going to ask him!" quipped Aldridge. He was speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds.
"I think we've moved on from Jurgen, but we'd love him back if Arne Slot were to go, obviously you would, because what he did for us, the passion he brought to the team, the club, and the fans was Bill Shankly-esque. If Arne Slot were to go, we’d love him to come back.
"But it doesn't work like that, does it? If he wanted to go to Real Madrid, then good luck to him; as long as when he plays against Liverpool in the Champions League in years to come, I’d want him to play his reserves!"
The logistics of a return would be fraught with difficulty. Red Bull has asserted recently that it is delighted with Klopp's work as Global Head of Soccer, and the change of pace seems to be working for the former Reds boss, too.
He suggested that when he left Liverpool, he might be finished with front-line management. And his work-life balance certainly appears healthier since he departed, with his latest side-quest taking him to the Winter Olympics to ring the final-lap bell at the biathlon.
Moreover, Klopp would be just as susceptible to his own legend as Slot. He would be measured against an idealized account of his first stint, making it impossible to measure up.
Much as Liverpool would be mad not to consider it if Klopp signaled a desire to return, there is definitely a sense that the chapter has closed, and should probably remain that way. Aldridge, in fairness, was not suggesting anything to the contrary.
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But while Klopp may not be realistic, Xabi Alonso certainly is. It seems Slot is cursed to be haunted by figures from Liverpool's past until he either improves performances or leaves.