Liverpool
Arne Slot replacement: The three names Liverpool must seriously consider this summer
Liverpool fans spent last season thinking Arne Slot could walk on water, yet the Dutchman now finds himself drowning in one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune Anfield has witnessed in years. The Arne Slot replacement conversation has moved from fan forums into genuine boardroom territory, and three names stand clearly above the rest as credible, immediately available options: Andoni Iraola, Cesc Fàbregas, and Francesco Farioli.
Slot‘s troubled campaign reached a fresh nadir recently, with the Anfield crowd booing him off the pitch following a draw with Chelsea, intensifying speculation over his future at L4. FSG continue to publicly back him, yet the history of football tells us those assurances only hold for so long before results force a decision.
Andoni Iraola makes the most compelling case of all three
Iraola already carries an existing relationship with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who led the decision to appoint him at the Vitality Stadium back in 2023. That shared understanding of football philosophy matters enormously when a club need to move quickly and decisively.
Having transformed Bournemouth despite repeatedly losing his best players to Europe’s elite clubs, Iraola built a high-octane, attacking outfit whose gegenpressing style mirrors exactly what Mohamed Salah and the Anfield faithful have desperately missed since Jürgen Klopp’s departure.
What’s more, the 43-year-old is set to part ways with Bournemouth at the end of the season. Since he hasn’t committed to his next project yet, the door is wide open for Liverpool to make their move.
Cesc Fàbregas represents a genuinely bold but defensible gamble
Fàbregas took charge of newly-promoted Como at the start of the 2024–25 season, helped them avoid relegation, and finished a respectable 10th in Serie A. Even more impressively, Como currently sit fifth in 2025–26 and remain in contention for Champions League qualification, topping Serie A for both possession and clean sheets this season. The former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder brings a confident, possession-led identity that could breathe fresh tactical life into a squad that has looked stale and directionless for months.
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Francesco Farioli
Francesco Farioli presents Liverpool with a similar calculation to the one they made when appointing Slot, which is a promising coach plucked from outside the traditional top-five leagues, carrying lower wage demands and significant upside. His work across Italy and France shows he is a manager capable of building tight, disciplined defences without losing any attacking flair.
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As the Arne Slot replacement debate accelerates through May 2026, Liverpool face a decision that will define the next era at Anfield. The club need someone who genuinely understands what it takes to work with world-class players and deliver the kind of football that resonates with what supporters want. Iraola, Fàbregas, and Farioli each offer that in their own distinct way, and Liverpool simply cannot afford to get the next appointment wrong.