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Club’s former head coach proud to have won titleHe praises ‘spirit of compassion and unity’Arne Slot has said the connection he shares with Liverpool and their fans “goes beyond football” after leaving the club. The Dutchman was sacked as head coach on Saturday, 12 months on from winning the club’s second title in 30 years, after a pitiful defence ended with a fifth-placed finish.In an open letter to fans in the Liverpool Echo, he said winning the Premier League title was “beyond special”. He wrote: “The connection we share goes beyond football, beyond European nights under the Anfield lights or the sound of You’ll Never Walk Alone being sung from The Kop.“You made me feel welcome from the start and helped me on the path. That is something I cherish.”Slot said winning the title was “even more meaningful” because fans were able to share in the celebrations after the 2020 title success during the pandemic.He described the “shocking” events when 134 supporters were injured as Paul Doyle drove into them on Water Street in the city centre during celebrations. Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months after he pleaded guilty to 31 offences.“I was privileged to witness first-hand your spirit of compassion and unity,” Slot wrote. “It is a spirit that has carried this city through difficult moments before, and one that I hope will help bring the justice and accountability so many have campaigned for over many years.”Slot also described the “love, compassion and support shown by the Liverpool family” after the death of the forward Diogo Jota in a car crash as “extraordinary” and that the way the fans honoured the player would stay with him for ever.As well as thanking fans, Slot paid tribute to players, staff and the club’s owners. “It has been a pleasure working with you all,” he said. “Liverpool’s 20th league title belongs to all of us and it will remain an important chapter in its history. For that we should all be proud.“I leave with complete confidence in what lies ahead. The players who have given so much to this club, who have upheld its values and helped create so many unforgettable moments, have built foundations that will endure.“At the same time, a new generation is emerging, ready to write its own story and embrace the responsibility that comes with wearing this shirt. Change is part of football, but I know that this club will continue to make its people proud.”

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Fan discontent boiled over last season but the head coach wasn’t the only one who made mistakes at the clubInevitable and necessary. Despite the continual briefings coming out of the UK side of the club’s operation, the silence from Liverpool’s American ownership was deafening. No vote of confidence, no contract extension talks and – most significant – no official appointment of Etiënne Reijnen to Arne Slot’s coaching staff. According to multiple reports last week, Slot was bringing in his old mucker to help turn the ship around, but the longer that remained unconfirmed it began to feel as if something was afoot.Eventually, on Saturday lunchtime, six days after the final game of a season in which the Reds lost 19 games, Slot was gone. Regardless of what happens next, it was the correct decision. If the next guy does not do well, that does not mean sacking Slot was a mistake. It made no sense for Liverpool’s ownership to allow this to continue, regardless of how much Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes reportedly wanted to stick with the status quo.I can’t remember Liverpool fans being more united in wanting a trophy-winning manager removed. Usually there’s a split in the fanbase and it can get quite ugly (the Rafa wars were particularly harrowing!) but this time it was pretty unanimous. We all knew. Some may have half-heartedly railed against the idea of “sacking a league-winning manager” but when it happened there was very little condemnation. Mostly it was relief.Anfield had started to become toxic with open revolt against Slot on display in the recent draw with Chelsea. It had threatened to get that way a few times previously (there were some boos after Burnley) but for the most part the crowd had shown great patience given the sterile football and disappointing results being served up. There’s no coming back from the position Slot found himself in. It was over, and virtually everyone knew it.That makes the constant briefings coming out of the club that his job was safe very worrying. This wasn’t some clever bluff by the smartest guys in the room to keep Slot focused until Champions League football was secured. By all accounts, Edwards and/or Hughes were prepared to let him carry on. That is until John Henry stepped in. That’s alarming to me, but then as much as I wanted Slot gone, I’d rather Edwards had gone first as I think he’s a bigger problem. Hughes too, although it’s hard to judge him when he’s no doubt being micro-managed by Edwards, FSG’s big boss man of football.A lot of outsiders think Slot has been treated harshly as it was only 12 months ago he was leading us to our 20th title. I get that to some extent, but he won the title with another man’s squad, and that squad has since been completely dismantled by Slot and those above him. Some fans get prickly and defensive when you say he won the league with Jürgen Klopp’s squad, but it’s a fact. I don’t know why saying so is seen as somehow denigrating his achievement, because to me it’s the opposite. Taking over somebody else’s team and delivering a title in your first season in a new league is an incredible accomplishment.If that same squad were still in place then maybe you could roll the dice on Slot in the hope that he could rediscover past glories. That isn’t the case, though. Much of that squad is gone or going and, despite a huge amount of money being spent to supposedly take the club to even greater heights, it’s gone backwards at an alarming rate. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz flopped, there were no signs of any plan or identity and nobody really knows what Slot’s preferred style is. Then you get Mohamed Salah telling the world how bad it is and most of the squad agreeing with him. It looked like mutiny.The dream is that our real dad (Klopp) comes home but it’s probably going to be another stepdad – this time a fun Spanish one. Andoni Iraola ticks plenty of boxes, but not all of them. He hasn’t experienced the goldfish bowl of a big club like Liverpool, he hasn’t had to navigate the demands of playing twice, or three times, a week and teams don’t set up against Bournemouth in the same way they do Liverpool.It would be a risk, but the upside is huge as Bournemouth play the most exciting football in the league. The Premier League has become boring but I enjoy watching the Cherries because they always have a go. They run, they press, they play on the front foot. Dare I say they play the “heavy-metal football” Salah called for a return to? Leading Bournemouth to sixth after losing his four or five best players is remarkable, so if it’s Iraola, sound. David Usher is the editor of the Liverpool Way

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We look at the fault-lines within Anfield and what is needed in the aftermath of the head coach’s sackingMaybe Mohamed Salah’s style of communication was not the slickest but he was correct that Liverpool need to redefine the style of football they play. Everything on the pitch last season under Arne Slot felt very placid as Liverpool failed to dominate opponents and were often found overrun. The new head coach will want to demonstrate his plans and implement an attacking style to best use what is available to him. Anfield does not want to witness back-foot football, fans want to see a swagger to those in red. Supporters and Slot suffered from a disconnect in the final months. The Dutchman was hindered by not possessing the vivacious personality of Jürgen Klopp nor the results in the end, and the aforementioned tedious style. The successor will want to put fans at the forefront and build a strong bond between stands and dugout, built on a platform of attractive play.After spending so much last summer trying to build a squad capable of dominating the Premier League for years to come, it was difficult to pick out someone who thrived. Hugo Ekitiké was the best of the new arrivals but record signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak barely made the season’s footnotes. Isak could at least attribute his struggles to fitness and injury problems, including a leg fracture, but the German’s first taste of English football was a sour one. He never looked comfortable as a No 10, physically finding it tough going as speed on the ball and strength in battle were lacking. Getting the best out of a clearly talented player must be a priority, because Wirtz has the capabilities to open defences and help Liverpool control games but needs a confidence boost and an arm around the shoulder.Wirtz is part of a wider midfield issue that lacks physicality and an obvious No 6. Ryan Gravenberch was elected as the man for the role by Slot, which worked well when the possession stats were in Liverpool’s favour but finding someone who can break things up effectively is advisable. Every other team have someone who can break up play but Liverpool lack someone in that role. Not since Georginio Wijnaldum or Fabinho have the club possessed someone capable of overwhelming opponents with their physical attributes and in an evolving sport, this oversight must end. Dominik Szoboszlai being moved around the pitch was unhelpful because he can be one of the best central midfielders in the world but needs a defined position to make his own.The players departing Anfield are weighed down with individual and team trinkets, thanks to the success they have enjoyed with Liverpool. Arguably, the influence of Salah and Andy Robertson on the pitch waned in their final season with the club but their experience and winning mentality will be a huge loss to the dressing room and training ground. Ibrahima Konaté is another exiting, providing a recruitment headache the club were not fully anticipating. It does beg the question if it is the right time to allow Alisson Becker, who has suffered from injury problems in recent times, to be sold and allow a new generation to start afresh, with Virgil van Dijk leading the transition. There are plenty of potential internal candidates who can take on greater responsibility but it may require a change in transfer strategy to acquire players in their late-20s with Champions League experience to help give the right balance.Konaté’s contract expiration will be softened by Jérémy Jacquet’s impending arrival but further investment is required. Van Dijk’s longevity is unknown so finding a partnership for the long term will be critical; a more rugged centre-back like Nottingham Forest’s Murillo could be an ideal choice to offer balance and greater aggression. Competition for Milos Kerkez will be important, but if Andoni Iraola does take the job the reunion could get the best out of the Hungarian and get him to flourish after a mixed first year on Merseyside. On the opposite side, continuity would help everyone because Slot was forced to trying numerous people in the role, many out of position. Ideally, Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong can make it their own, having struggled to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, although both have suffered with injury problems. If they can stay fit, they both possess the quality to be a solution, especially if clever coaching can embrace their attacking prowess and incorporate more defensive discipline.Slot insisted that new wingers would change the dynamic next season but he will not be the one to benefit. Salah is off, Federico Chiesa cannot carry on as a bit-part, so will almost certainly leave too, freeing up some space on the flanks. Rio Ngumoha offered brief teenage glimpses of excitement as someone with the pace and trickery to get past full-backs. Frimpong, brought in as a right-back, was more often found on the wing because he possessed the speed Slot desired in those areas, while also offering a further indication that the transfer dealings left a lot to be desired. They did not replace the maverick tendencies of Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo has never looked a natural winger. Targeting new wide men will be imperative. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh or Athletic Club’s Neco Williams would be ideal candidates to bring thrust to a side lacking dynamism and get supporters off their seats.

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Club’s flawed recruitment meant coach did not deserve the vitriol, but Anfield boos led to executives needing to actMohamed Salah’s parting shot was to demand the return of heavy-metal football at Liverpool and, in their reasoning for sacking Arne Slot, the club’s hierarchy have concurred. It is a brutal, but understandable decision to remove Slot on the basis that Liverpool’s style must evolve, though responsibility for this season’s regression does not rest with the coach alone.Liverpool have never sacked a title-winning manager on their title-winning watch before now. Sir Kenny Dalglish’s dismissal came in his second, League Cup-winning spell in charge. That underlines the scale of the decision to sack a head coach who won the club’s record-equalling 20th league title 13 months ago and who handled the unprecedented trauma of Diogo Jota’s death with dignity and professionalism last summer.Slot deserved so much better than the vitriolic personal abuse that subsequently flowed down the sewage pipe of social media from many Liverpool supporters. He also deserved better than to feel he should be separate from the send-offs to Salah and Andy Robertson and the team’s traditional lap of honour after what proved to be his final game as head coach.But the distance between Slot and the Anfield crowd six days ago, between the Dutchman and the Liverpool team, was symptomatic of the divide that appeared during the campaign. That divide also prompted Liverpool to act after their review into a season that featured 20 defeats in all competitions, including the Community Shield, and the club’s lowest points tally in a decade.Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, persevered with Brendan Rodgers going into that 2015-16 season despite the fans turning beforehand and sacked him in the October. Executives knew they were in a similar predicament with Slot, that the recent toxicity would have re-erupted at the first sign of trouble next season, and have reluctantly taken a different course of action this time.The club statement confirming Slot’s exit is effusive in its praise for his title achievement, his character and his conduct. Rightly so. But Anfield had turned and made its feelings clear in the penultimate home game of the season against Chelsea. It needed much more than the promise of signing a couple of talented wingers this summer to win back the faithful.Slot struggled throughout the season to rectify Liverpool’s shortcomings at set pieces – their increasing importance in the Premier League at odds with his own approach – and to prevent opponents repeatedly hurting his team from open play. The amount of late goals conceded and in-game collapses invited criticism of the fitness levels.There was also a distinct lack of leadership and character within the squad. Virgil van Dijk’s despondent admission that Liverpool gave up during their woeful FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Manchester City pointed to a wider malaise. The style of play was ineffective and, worse for an Anfield crowd, it was dull.Slot was stung by descriptions of his team as boring. He strived for the complete opposite but drifted further and further away from a solution in his second campaign. Even with Champions League qualification secured by the final day’s draw against Brentford, there was little evidence that shortcomings were being addressed. In that respect, Liverpool had to act.The mitigating factors for Liverpool’s decline were extensive. Jota’s death cast an inevitable pall over the season and the squad. There was an extensive and serious injury list that stretched resources in defence and attack. Having propelled Liverpool to an unexpected Premier League triumph in 2024-25, Salah suffered an unexpected loss of form that disrupted the entire team.It was Slot’s misfortune to be the one to inform a legend that his time was up. Salah took the news gracelessly and made three public attempts to undermine his boss before leaving, despite being immediately recalled to the starting lineup after the Africa Cup of Nations. The decks have been cleared for Andoni Iraola or whoever Liverpool appoint as Slot’s successor in that regard.But we must return to the summer that changed everything for Slot and Liverpool, when almost £450m was spent on new signings that made the reigning champions worse. It is here where blame rises above Slot’s role. He was named head coach for a reason. FSG and its chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, did not want a continuation of the all-powerful manager once Jürgen Klopp informed the owners of his decision to step down in late 2023. Slot slotted into the system. He had input into transfers but not to Klopp’s extent.The most expensive recruitment drive in Liverpool’s history was led by Edwards and Richard Hughes, the sporting director who hired Iraola when he was at Bournemouth and retains a strong working relationship with his agent, Iñaki Ibáñez. They bought a £29.5m wingback, Jeremie Frimpong, for a team that do not operate with wingbacks. They spent all summer pursuing Alexander Isak, prompting the striker to in effect down tools at Newcastle throughout pre-season, before eventually paying £125m for a player who spent the first half of the campaign trying to get up to speed as a result of missing pre-season. And they paid £125m having already acquired Hugo Ekitiké, the only one to impress from an intake that also featured the £116m Florian Wirtz, the £40m Milos Kerkez and the £29m Giorgi Mamardashvili. Luis Díaz was not replaced and attempts to low-ball Crystal Palace over Marc Guéhi backfired badly.Slot went into his final season with an imbalanced and inadequate squad as a result of decisions taken above him. There were some encouraging nights in the Champions League, along with the misfortune to draw Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout stages for a second successive season, but those moments were fleeting. Salah was not the only established player to endure a downturn in form nor the only one to complain.Liverpool stood by Slot even after PSV Eindhoven inflicted a ninth defeat in 12 matches on his team, the club’s worst run of results in 71 years, and maintained they were behind their man for the best part of the six months that followed. Ultimately, however, Edwards, Hughes and FSG reached the conclusion they had to get Anfield back onside. And in that respect, and with respect, Slot had to go.

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The title-winning glow soon faded for the champions’ manager after tragedy in Spain presaged a dramatic decline on the pitchThe Liverpool forward was returning from his native Portugal to England via car then ferry, on medical advice after having a minor lung operation, and was killed in an accident along with his brother, André Silva, en route to the Spanish port of Santander, on 3 July 2025. Jota’s death, 11 days after teammates attended his wedding to the mother of their three children, deeply affected everyone at the club. The celebrations at the end of May of the club’s title win on the streets of Liverpool had previously been cut short by a man driving a car into the crowds, injuring 134 people, some seriously. What should have been a summer of celebration was overshadowed by tragedies, and Arne Slot had to prepare for the new season against a highly emotional background.Despite this, after losing the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on penalties Liverpool started the season proper with seven wins, including against Arsenal, several times clinching victory in added time. In the middle of the run, the Reds prised Alexander Isak away from Newcastle for a British record £125m, to cap a remarkable summer of spending, with Florian Wirtz (£116m), Hugo Ekitiké (£69m), Milos Kerkez (£40m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5m) the other major signings. But after Palace scored their own late winner in the league, Chelsea did likewise, and in between the Reds lost 1-0 at Galatasaray in the Champions League. Manchester United then came to Anfield and Harry Maguire headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross in the 84th minute to give the visitors a first away win in the fixture since January 2016. The title defence was crumbling.On the last weekend before the November international break, Liverpool travelled to Manchester City. A goal down as half-time approached, the Reds thought they had equalised but Virgil van Dijk’s header was controversially disallowed before the captain deflected Nico González’s shot into the net for 2-0. Jérémy Doku made it a 3-0 win. Still, that was away to City … Two weeks later, Nottingham Forest arrived at Anfield one place off the bottom with Sean Dyche under pressure – he was sacked three months later. But remarkably they too ran out 3-0 winners, and four days later PSV Eindhoven came to Merseyside and won 4-1. Liverpool were in disarray.Slot reacted to the run of defeats by doing what was close to unthinkable: leaving out Mohamed Salah, double footballer of the year the previous season. The rot was stopped with a 2-0 win at West Ham, where the Egyptian spent the entire 90 minutes on the bench. Salah was omitted against promoted Sunderland at Anfield but came on at half-time with the game goalless, though Liverpool could only scrape a 1-1 draw. When he was omitted again at Leeds and not used at all as Liverpool twice threw away leads in a chaotic 3-3 draw, Salah had had enough, launching an astonishing verbal attack on the manager in the mixed zone, albeit without naming Slot.“I can’t believe … I’m sitting on the bench for 90 minutes,” Salah said. “The third time on the bench, I think for the first time in my career. I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.”Salah hinted the following week’s game with Brighton, after which he was off to the Africa Cup of Nations, could be his last. Relations were patched up but it was announced on 24 March that he would be leaving at the end of the season.Isak had forced his way out of Newcastle by not training and had in effect missed pre-season. After completing his move he struggled for fitness and when available came off the bench more often than not. By the time Liverpool went to Tottenham on 20 December, he had one league goal and was yet to play a full game. A half-time substitute with the game goalless, the Swede broke the deadlock by converting a through ball from Wirtz but was caught in the act of shooting by Micky van de Ven, the challenge breaking the striker’s left leg. The £100m+ duo had combined for a goal at last but rather than a sign of good things to come it epitomised an apparently cursed season. The 2-1 win at Spurs was, at least, the sixth game in a 13-match unbeaten run, but Liverpool were rarely convincing for more than 45 minutes at any time.The title long since written off, Liverpool were bumping along, doing just enough to likely scrape into the Champions League places, but at least reached the quarter-finals of that competition and the FA Cup. Their chances of silverware were firmly extinguished. On 4 April, Erling Haaland – who had often struggled against the Reds – scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup, his third moving Manchester City 4-0 ahead and leading to remarkable scenes as Liverpool in effect gave up with half an hour to go, playing to avoid further humiliation. Paris Saint-Germain then won 2-0 home and away, utterly dominant in the French capital on 8 April and more effective in front of goal in an even match on Merseyside six days later – a game which saw Ekitiké’s promising debut season curtailed by an achilles tendon rupture. There would be no second trophy for Slot coming this season – or, it proved, any season – as Liverpool manager.

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Dutchman departs after disappointing title defenceLiverpool have sacked Arne Slot after a troubled Premier League title defence and are likely to turn to Andoni Iraola to replace him. Slot has been dismissed with immediate effect and, Liverpool say, with great reluctance after a review into a season that was overshadowed by the death of Diogo Jota and featured 19 defeats in all competitions.With Champions League qualification secured on the final day, and the Liverpool hierarchy claiming for several months that they backed the Dutch coach, the 47-year-old had expected to remain at the helm.However, Liverpool feel the team’s playing style needs to evolve to a more aggressive, front-foot approach and respond to changes within the Premier League. That vision increases the likelihood of Iraola – who was appointed Bournemouth’s head coach by Richard Hughes, now Liverpool’s sporting director – being appointed as Slot’s successor.In a statement on the club’s website, the ownership wrote: “That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful. “As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it. This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.”The statement also paid tribute to the Dutchman’s handling of Jota’s death, saying: “He also helped guide the club through one of the most difficult periods imaginable following the loss of Diogo. The compassion and humanity he showed throughout that time said a great deal about him as a person.”However, the statement continued: “Nevertheless, the conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach.“Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield.”Liverpool want to install a replacement quickly and Iraola is available having left Bournemouth. The 43-year-old has interest from Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace, but has not committed to the next phase of his impressive coaching career so far.Slot guided Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th league title in his first season at the club and made the transition from the Jürgen Klopp era appear seamless. Liverpool acknowledge that his dismissal appears unfair in the context of that achievement plus the manner in which he has conducted himself during his two years in charge.But after investing almost £450m in new signings last summer, Liverpool regressed badly and supporters turned on the team’s style of play in the final months.Liverpool could consider themselves unfortunate to draw Manchester City in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, but their title defence deteriorated badly. With the exception of Hugo Ekitike, new signings, such as £116m Florian Wirtz and £125m British record signing Alexander Isak, failed to produce, established players such as Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Alexis Mac Allister suffered a severe drop-off in form. Problems at set-pieces and in open play blighted the team all season.Slot’s methods were called out by Salah before he left the club and the head coach kept his distance from the team during their lap of honour at Anfield on the final day.Against a backdrop of fan and team unrest, Liverpool came to the conclusion that Slot’s departure was inevitable at some point and have acted now to avoid disrupting next season. Slot’s backroom staff are also expected to leave, although there has been no announcement from the club on their positions as yet.