Image Credits: Imago Images
News of Liverpool firing Arne Slot has reverberated around the football world.
While many expected the UEFA Champions League final to dominate today’s football agenda, events at Anfield have stolen the spotlight.
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To call it a shock would be an understatement.
Until recently, reports suggested Slot would remain in the Anfield dugout for at least another season.
His dismissal is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in football, although few would bet against the Dutchman finding another top-level role before the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
Slot’s departure has generated significant attention not only in England but also in his native Netherlands.
Having moved to Liverpool from Feyenoord in 2024, the Dutchman’s progress at one of Europe’s biggest clubs has been followed closely back home.
Unsurprisingly, the decision to part ways with him has prompted a strong reaction across the Dutch media.
Among those to weigh in is De Telegraaf chief sports editor Marcel van der Kraan, who has been highly critical of Liverpool’s decision in his latest column for the country’s biggest daily newspaper.
Writing in De Telegraaf, van der Kraan criticised Liverpool for what he sees as them “degenerating into a ‘hire and fire’ club”.
And it’s not just the hierarchy that catches the ire of the Dutch journalist.
Liverpool players are not without blame too, with van der Kraan aiming a sly dig at a certain Mohamed Salah.
“The fact that Slot was unable to use his major signing Alexander Isak, a 150 million euro striker, for almost the entire season because he immediately suffered a serious injury, and the fact that his second striker Hugo Ekitike is also sidelined for a year, has not been a mitigating circumstance for the fans or the club management”, he wrote.
“And that is not even mentioning Mo Salah, who has barely performed since signing a 22 million euro contract”.
It’s clear that he’s not a fan of the way that English Premier League clubs have evolved when it comes to their attitude towards their club managers.
But it’s not all bad news as the article does tell us how much Arne Slot will be paid following his dismissal.
“Should we feel sorry for Slot?,” asks van der Kraan.
“No, every coach who gets sacked in England receives millions. In the case of Slot, whose contract ran until July 1 2027, that amounts to a hefty €8 million euros.
“His agent Rafaela Pimenta, who took over the business after the death of Slot’s agent Mino Raiola, is getting everything out of it”.
Converted to pounds, you’re talking roughly £7m at today’s exchange rate.
So while Arne Slot will no longer call Liverpool home, he will at least leave Anfield with a sizeable compensation package.
Whether that softens the blow of a dismissal that has stunned supporters, pundits and observers across Europe is another matter entirely.
What is certain is that Liverpool’s decision has sparked fierce debate both in England and the Netherlands, and the fallout from one of the most surprising managerial sackings in recent memory is unlikely to die down any time soon.
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