Arne Slot at Liverpool vs Brentford
Arne Slot at Liverpool vs Brentford
Liverpool have sacked Arne Slot following a disappointing season which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League.
Slot had been expected to stay on, but Fenway Sports Group have pulled the trigger after undergoing an end-of-season review. They are now hoping to hire Andoni Iraola as Slot's replacement after the Spaniard left Bournemouth at the end of the campaign.
Iraola has been courted by Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen after guiding the Cherries to sixth place in the league with an 18-game unbeaten run.
Mohamed Salah fell out with Arne Slot earlier in the season after being left on the bench. They repaired their relationship and Salah got his extended farewell.
But Salah's words just two weeks ago showed his true feelings. The forward wrote pointedly: "I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies.
"That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it."
That appeared to be an implicit criticism of Slot's style of play. And Liverpool's statement today, saying they are sacking the Dutchman due to the need for a "different approach" suggests they agree with Salah.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool reacts with Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, as he is substituted off after picking up an injury during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on April 25, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
First it was Mohamed Salah. Then Andy Robertson. Then Ibrahima Konate. And now Arne Slot is leaving too.
Last summer was filled of optimism after the big-money arrivals of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Co but it didn't work out and a reset is needed.
As Liverpool's statement said, the club will now take "a different approach".
Salah and Robertson
Salah and Robertson are already due to leave Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
There is one key person linking Liverpool with Andoni Iraola.
Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes worked with Iraola at Bournemouth before moving to Anfield in 2024. He played a crucial role in the Cherries hiring Iraola after his three-year spell with Rayo Vallecano.
“We needed to be aggressive, we needed to attack. That’s Andoni’s style," owner Bill Foley told the Men in Blazers podcast. "He’s a [Marcelo] Bielsa student and fast-paced. When we had the opportunity, it came to us from Richard Hughes, our technical director. He came to myself and to Neill Blake, the CEO, and then we started talking about it.
“I said if we don’t do this now, we may never have the chance to do this again."
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Richard Hughes, sporting director at Liverpool fc during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on October 04, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Arne Slot will always be remembered at Anfield for winning the Premier League title in his debut season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp.
Overall, he took charge of 113 games as Liverpool manager, winning 66, drawing 19 and losing 28.
Remarkably, 19 of those 28 defeats came in the 2025/26 campaign. And that is ultimately what cost him. The team finished fifth in the Premier League to secure a place in next season's Champions League, but they were a shadow of their former selves, despite huge spending on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and more.
(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Andoni Iraola is understood to be Liverpool's first choice to replace Arne Slot. The Spaniard is Premier League proven and highly sought after.
But The Telegraph says there are other possible candidates who could be involved in the formal recruitment process, including Sebastian Hoeness and Pierre Sage.
Hoeness led Stuttgart to fourth in the Bundesliga this season, while Sage finished second in Ligue 1 with Lens, as well as winning the Coupe de France for the first time in the club's 120-year history.
Coach of RC Lens Pierre Sage
Pierre Sage won the Coupe de France with Lens(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Arne Slot reportedly only found out he was losing his job at Liverpool this morning.
Liverpool's season ended on Sunday with a 1-1 draw at Anfield against Brentford and the Dutchman was under the impression he would start next season as Liverpool manager, with a year left on his contract.
But Fenway Sports Group held an end-of-season review and ultimately decided the time was right to make a change. They informed Slot this morning of their decision.
Arne Slot has issued a goodbye message to Liverpool fans after being sacked. The Dutchman led the club to the Premier League title in his maiden campaign after replacing Jurgen Klopp, but struggled in his second.
“It’s been an amazing ride together with Liverpool, I am so grateful that we were able to win the league last season," he said.
(Image: PETER POWELL/EPA/Shutterstock)
Andoni Iraola had been choosing between Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen. But now Liverpool are favourites to land the Spaniard.
Iraola is hot property after doing an incredible job at Bournemouth, where he led them to continual improvement over three seasons, despite consistently losing top players in almost every transfer window.
He has just guided the Cherries to sixth place and the Europa League and has spoken to Palace and Leverkusen. But the Liverpool job, and the chance to manage in the Champions League next season, could prove alluring to the 43-year-old.
Head Coach Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola has attracted a lot of interest this summer(Image: Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
The club said in a statement: "Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way."
The statement added: "Having joined the club in June 2024, Arne went on to deliver our 20th league title in his first season in charge, ending the 2024-25 campaign as LMA Manager of the Year having also guided the team to the Carabao Cup final and the last 16 of the Champions League.
"He subsequently oversaw Champions League qualification for a second successive season in 2025-26 as the Reds also reached the quarter-finals of the same competition.
"That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful.
"As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.
"From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it. This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.
"At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.
"We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title.
"That accomplishment – made all the more remarkable as it arrived in his very first season in charge – was built on outstanding coaching and leadership every single day.
"He also helped guide the club through one of the most difficult periods imaginable following the loss of Diogo. The compassion and humanity he showed throughout that time said a great deal about him as a person.
"As such, we can only wish Arne well in the next stage of his coaching career, with our expectation being that he will continue to be successful. We do so in the knowledge that his Liverpool legacy is intact and will become yet more meaningful in the years and decades to come.
"Nevertheless, the conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach.
"Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield."
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Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool
(Image: Getty)