Gary Neville is adamant Arne Slot is staying at Liverpool this summer after revealing two key factors why he doesn’t think FSG will sack the Dutchman, and despite Mohamed Salah very clearly undermining his authority with a seriously damaging statement.
Salah is a bona fide Liverpool legend who now has just one final game left of his iconic nine-year stay at the club. Having helped the Merseyside giants win eight major honours in that time, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League, he will forever be recalled as one of the club’s greatest ever players.
However, his last season at Anfield is one that has been riddled with controversy, and it seems the Egyptian superstar will not be leaving Anfield quietly – nor with the player happy with the state he leaves his beloved Reds in.
Having launched a stunning broadside that effectively told FSG to consider sacking Slot and, at best, told them he was upset at their “crumbling” standards, it is clear that Salah does not care for what he has seen under the Dutchman this season, with the Reds finishing the season trophyless and likely to finish fifth.
In light of that, and following Friday evening’s woeful 4-2 hammering by Aston Villa, James Pearce has revealed the clamour to sack Slot is ‘growing louder’ with confidence in his regime now at ‘rock bottom’.
Despite that, Neville is convinced Slot will be staying put and, having explained why he will be trusted to carry on, has explained why the Dutchman will just be delighted to get Salah out of the club.
“He’s pulled the pin out of a grenade and just thrown it in the middle of the room on his way out,” Neville said on Sky Sports News. “It’s not great; if he’s a Manchester United player, I would be fuming.
“But what you can never do with this type of character and this type of personality and this stature of player is keep them quiet.
“They’ve got something to say, they’re going to say it, and they’re going to say it at the point where maybe you don’t want to hear it. It was a telling comment.
“Arne Slot will not welcome that whatsoever, but I think he’ll just want to get to the end of the season, get out of there and get everybody out there that’s not going to be there next season.”
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Neville convinced Slot is staying at Liverpool for two reasons
Despite the growing demand for FSG to reconsider Slot’s position – and these comments from Jermaine Pennant were certainly telling in the wake of Friday’s defeat – the Dutchman is expected to get the green light to carry on.
That’s despite our report from back in early March, which revealed several strong reservations FSG still had over the Dutchman.
However, Neville believes Chelsea’s appointment of Xabi Alonso on Sunday morning – who the Reds could have had for themselves had they made the move – coupled with the fact that Slot, less than a year ago, was celebrating a title triumph, means he will be allowed to see in the new season and try and oversee a major improvement.
“[Chelsea] signing Xabi Alonso this morning did tell me that I think Liverpool are going to keep the manager next season, which I’m happy about.
“I genuinely think that a manager who’s won the league 12 months ago deserves an opportunity to get it right, having had a more challenging season this time, but he’s still in the Champions League,” Neville explained.
“It’s for Liverpool to worry about their own problems. I don’t think they need Gary Neville telling them what to do, but it was a telling comment from Mo Salah, and something that won’t be helpful.”
Speaking to Sky Sports during Friday’s defeat – their 20th of the season in all competitions – Jamie Carragher feels Slot has a major rebuilding job on his hands.
“This has been happening from the first day of the season on a Friday night against Bournemouth,” said Carragher on Sky Sports co-commentary duty.
Liverpool have far too many weak players – physically and mentally – and it has to be fixed. It looks like Arne Slot is going to be the man who has to fix it next season.
“But this result does nothing in terms of the feelings of the supporters around his position right now.
Liverpool don’t excel at anything. They look like a really average team. They have been taken to the cleaners.”
Carragher is also shocked Liverpool are still fifth, given how bad they have been this season.
“When you look at those results away from home, I always think it tells you about your personality and character,” said Carragher.
“I can’t actually believe that Liverpool are fifth in the league. You think about the number of the goals they’ve conceded, they never look threatening going forward, and that away record – and Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League? Wow!”
Whether that will lead to a change of manager remains to be seen.
But while Neville is convinced Slot will be staying, FSG will undoubtedly have been given a headache by Salah’s bombshell statement.
Furthermore, a report on Saturday evening appeared to suggest a number of Reds stars had also sided with the Egyptian’s explosive rant.
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