Arne Slot was sacked from his job as Liverpool head coach for a variety of factors, with the club’s end-of-season review showing an overriding fear for if he stayed.
Slot is the first Premier League title-winning manager Liverpool have chosen to part ways with, and the decision will have been a difficult one.
But having failed to maintain the standards set in his first campaign at Anfield, it was clear that the Dutchman would not be able to follow in Jurgen Klopp‘s footsteps in cementing a dynasty.
The Athletic‘s James Pearce has brought details from the end-of-season review led by sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of football Michael Edwards.
Why Liverpool sacked Arne Slot
Future risk: The board axed Slot now out of fear that next season would turn toxic and leave them stranded without a suitable replacement.
Internal decline: Boardroom faith gradually eroded due to a string of lifeless performances, structural weaknesses and uninspired football.
Atmosphere shift: A clear disconnect on matchdays culminated in the Anfield crowd directly booing Slot’s negative, passive tactics during the run-in.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, April 14, 2026: Liverpool's head coach Arne Slot reacts during the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg match between Liverpool FC and Paris Saint-Germain FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
He writes that: “There was a fear that if they stuck by Slot and then next season didn’t start well things would quickly turn toxic at Anfield.
“And if they were forced to make a change in the autumn finding a suitable successor would be harder than this summer given the candidates available.”
Liverpool are expected to hire Andoni Iraola with a view to restoring the aggressive, high-intensity attacking football enjoyed under Klopp.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is greeted by head coach Arne Slot (R) as he is substituted off during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Pearce explains that Hughes and Edwards “came to the conclusion that a change was required given the mood both within the dressing room and the fanbase.”
However it is maintained that the players were not consulted directly on Slot’s position and, crucially, the fallout of his issues with Mohamed Salah did not cost him his job.
“Much more significant in the final decision was his inability to find solutions to the team’s glaring weaknesses as a blanket of negativity descended during the run-in with performances so lifeless and disjointed,” the journalist continues.
“His complaints about facing ‘low blocks’ and being faced with ‘negative set-piece balances’ started to wear thin with the most damning assessment from fans that they felt bored by the slow brand of football.”
Richard Hughes witnessed the boos in Chelsea draw
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 9, 2026: Liverpool's sporting director Richard Hughes during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
It appears as though those in charge grew increasingly tired with Slot’s post-match excuses just as the fans had long before.
Hughes witnessed first-hand how those inside Anfield had turned against their head coach as he attended the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on May 9 – Liverpool took the lead early on and then bizarrely sat off.
“The disconnect between what fans expected and what was being served up was stark,” Pearce writes, with Slot booed on multiple occasions that day.
There was no “breaking point” and the backing of the club’s decision-makers instead “slowly ebbed away” as the 47-year-old’s stock diminished.
Liverpool’s data model showed little sign of Slot being able to stop their “slow starts” and “habit of conceding damaging late goals” due to concerns they showed “issues with both fitness and mentality.”
With Iraola likely to be a swift appointment the hope will be that the Spaniard can quickly turn the tide with plenty of time to start work before pre-season.
Fans can at least be encouraged that the frustrations they felt over the course of almost 18 months of Slot’s reign were eventually recognised by those with power to make the change needed.