Anfield is patient and it is forgiving. It takes a lot for Liverpool to turn on a manager (or a player, for that matter), but Arne Slot is hardly the flavour of the month after such a long and frustrating campaign.
Fans can forgive a season that yields no silverware; you are not going to hit peak Jurgen Klopp levels every year. However, the laboured and ponderous nature of this - we'll say it - boring Liverpool side has seen tensions boil over for the Merseysiders, whose chortle of boos proved the defining storyline of last weekend's drab draw against Chelsea.
Liverpool's Recent Premier League Finishes
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
19/20
The Premier League champions are champions no more. 20 points behind first-place Arsenal with two games to go, this has been a pitiful defence. The best that the Reds can do is hit 65 points, which would mark their lowest return since that first term under Klopp's wing, when he replaced a beleaguered Brendan Rodgers in October.
Changes are needed - desperately. Midfield and defensive options are being sounded out, but it is the front of the ship that requires immediate attention, with Mohamed Salah quitting and Cody Gakpo ineffective on the left wing.
Liverpool set to enter talks for new winger
With Gakpo failing to impress after Luis Diaz's summer sale, Liverpool have had something of a conundrum on the left wing. Slot has been hesitant to field Rio Ngumoha throughout the campaign.
The 17-year-old has the world at his feet, but he does need effectively managing to prevent injuries and steady his progress at this nascent and vulnerable stage of his career. A significant fitness setback could be detrimental.
However, that does mean that Liverpool need to sign another forward, especially with Hugo Ekitike recuperating after surgery on a ruptured Achilles.
According to Caught Offside, Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola is a bona fide transfer target for Liverpool ahead of the summer transfer window, with talks anticipated 'soon'.
bradley-barcola-psg
Valued at £62m, the French winger is at the heart of potential talks over a new deal in Paris, but Liverpool appear to spy an opportunity, with Barcola behind Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the pecking order.
Barcola, 23, is one of the most talented young forwards in the world, and when considering the frisson of excitement that he sends through supporters when running with the ball, looking to make something happen in the final third, he may, in a way, emerge as Liverpool's new version of Philippe Coutinho.
Why Barcola can be Liverpool's new Coutinho
In Barcola, Liverpool would sign a seat-raising winger who has the capacity to thrill crowds and dazzle in the final third.
Before Salah, before Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane running down the wing, there was Coutinho. The brilliant Brazilian was a magician on the ball, and he was a source of hope for a Liverpool side who languished during those dark pre-Klopp days.
The attacking midfielder left for Barcelona in a record-breaking £142m deal during the early days of that incredible era, but he remains a fondly remembered name on Merseyside, and Barcola could bring back the silky and stylish style.
Described as "one of the best wingers in the world" by analyst Ben Mattinson, Barcola scored 21 goals and supplied 21 assists as PSG romped their way to a quadruple last season.
This year, he hasn't been quite so spellbinding, but no less certain of his world-class qualities in the final third, so quick and ambitious when on the ball.
Bradley Barcola in 2025/26
Stats (* per 90)
Matches (starts)
Goals + Assists
Shots (on target)*
Accurate passes*
Big chances created
Key passes*
Possession lost*
Succ. dribbles*
Ball recoveries*
Tackles + interceptions*
Duels won*
Barcola stands at 6 feet tall. He is a long and limber winger, that unique presence giving him a certain skill that others can't replicate.
His special skillset is not the same as Coutinho's was at Anfield, but his quality as a difference-maker, deviant from the typical Premier League winger, could see him bring that creative flair back to the club - certainly, they have missed such qualities this season.
PSG winger Bradley Barcola
Liverpool need more mavericks in the final third. The hopes that Wirtz would provide that kind of attacking relief have dissipated over the course of the year. The German playmaker may yet hit lofty peaks at Anfield, but he's not a show-stopping maverick; rather, a cool, flowing influencer.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso Related
[He's better than Alonso: Liverpool could hire "best young coach in Europe"](https://www.footballfancast.com/he-wants-the-job-liverpool-sack-slot-for-nagelsmann-alonso-upgrade/ "He's better than Alonso: Liverpool could hire "best young coach in Europe"")
Dissent regarding Arne Slot is building over at Liverpool.