Arne Slot was fired by Liverpool over the weekend after an end-of-season review, but suggestions that he had lost the dressing room are said to be wide of the mark
12:15, 01 Jun 2026
Arne Slot was fired by Liverpool on Saturday
Arne Slot was fired by Liverpool on Saturday(Image: 2026 James Gill - Danehouse)
Arne Slot had not lost the dressing room at Liverpool, despite suggestions that the players were losing belief in the head coach during the second half of the season.
That's according to The Athletic, which says that its sources close to the squad insist that claims that Slot had lost the dressing room were unfair. Some Liverpool fans noted how few Reds players shared tributes on social media following the news of Slot's departure — many seemed to view the lack of online tributes as a sign that the players were happy to have seen the back of Slot.
However, a number of Liverpool players reached out privately to send their best wishes to the Dutchman following the news of his departure. Liverpool's players were not consulted on the decision to remove Slot, and the call to fire him was largely data-led.
It is suggested that a collective sense of frustration grew as a result of the many setbacks Liverpool suffered throughout the season, rather than the players turning on the head coach.
Mohamed Salah's post after Liverpool's loss to Aston Villa, in which he called for Liverpool to revert to a "heavy metal" style of play – a term synonymous with Slot's predecessor, Jurgen Klopp – was a clear dig at Slot's tactical approach.
Several first-team players liked Salah's post, which some perceived to be a show of agreement with the Egyptian superstar.
However, when Florian Wirtz – who was one of the Liverpool players to 'like' Salah's post – was asked whether the players who liked the post were siding with Salah over Slot, he responded: “No, nothing like that.
Mohamed Salah shared a controversial post on Instagram after Liverpool lost to Aston Villa last month
Mohamed Salah shared a controversial post on Instagram after Liverpool lost to Aston Villa last month(Image: Getty Images)
"I like Mo’s mentality in general — how he sees things, how he works. He’s a guy you can listen to, because he has seen a lot.
“He wasn’t attacking anyone. With the ‘likes’ players gave, I think it was made too big. For me, it was just a thing that he wanted to say because he’s leaving.
"He wanted to make everyone in the club alert that we have to work more and do better.
"We are all anything but happy with this season. The outside world is always trying to create something between the team and the manager.
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"There is no thought about not being behind the manager."
Meanwhile, Slot's replacement looks likely to be Andoni Iraola, who left Bournemouth when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Liverpool is expected to begin formal talks with Iraola today (Monday) and hopes to have finalized the appointment before the World Cup begins next week.