Liverpool icon Robbie Fowler has shared his thoughts on Arne Slot's firing, explaining what he believes the players will be feeling following the Dutchman's exit from Anfield
13:43, 02 Jun 2026
Robbie Fowler has revealed what the locker room will be thinking
Robbie Fowler has revealed what the locker room will be thinking(Image: Getty Images)
Robbie Fowler reckons the dismissal of Arne Slot will be met with optimism by those within the Liverpool locker room.
The Anfield hierarchy brought Slot's two-year tenure to an end on Saturday. The Dutch coach secured the Premier League title in his first season with the Reds but struggled through a challenging second campaign. Predictably, considerable change can follow any new appointment, with Liverpool now pursuing Andoni Iraola as their next manager.
Fowler, who scored 171 goals for the Reds across two spells at Anfield, knows all too well the disruption and opportunities that a managerial switch can create. The legendary striker was at Liverpool during coaching changes from Graeme Souness to Roy Evans and, later, from Evans to Gerard Houllier.
Fowler reckons there'll be an appetite for a new direction and a feeling of expectation running through the club about what's to come.
Speaking via BetMGM, the former Liverpool forward told the Liverpool ECHO: "I think there will be a little bit of excitement [at a new manager coming in].
"Don't get me wrong, it's not excitement about getting rid of the manager, it is excitement about the new plans, the new ideas, the training methods, the new everything."
The Liverpool locker room will now be braced for change, now that Slot has gone, according to Fowler
The Liverpool locker room will now be braced for change, now that Slot has gone, according to Fowler(Image: Getty Images)
Even Slot's appointment itself brought new methods to Liverpool.
The Dutchman overhauled how Liverpool's players readied themselves for matches, most notably abandoning Jurgen Klopp's tradition of requiring players to stay in a city center hotel ahead of home games.
"But what you've seen with Slot is totally different to what you saw with Jurgen Klopp in terms of how you prepare for games, how you go to hotels," Fowler added.
"So I think from a player point of view, that's one of the first things you think of. 'Well, how are we going to play? How is the system going to be? Are we all going to fit into this system?' And then obviously the training regime, 'What do we do in training?'
"For me, football is about creating an environment and a training environment where players want to come in and train all the time and want to be the very best version of themselves. So I think you look forward to it.
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"And look, regardless of what people think, I think there'll be a lot of people in that dressing (locker) room who will be sad to see Arne go because they'll have a good relationship.
"Now what we see on the outside is maybe different from what players and the coaches have to see within the four walls of the AXA (Liverpool's training base). Now, all of a sudden, everything's got to change. You know, the methods.
"I mean, even the eating habits could change, in terms of where you eat or if you go to hotels before games."