Liverpool sack Arne Slot after disastrous English Premier League title defence

LONDON – Liverpool sacked manager Arne Slot on May 30, saying the club were seeking a “change of direction”, after a disastrous defence of their English Premier League title.

“Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way,” the club said in a statement. “He leaves with an English Premier League title to his name and our deepest gratitude and appreciation.”

The 47-year-old Dutchman joined the club in June 2024 and won the Reds their 20th league title in his first season in charge after replacing Jurgen Klopp.

He was named the League Managers Association’s Manager of the Year and Premier League Manager of the Season at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, having also guided the team to the League Cup final and the last 16 of the Champions League after topping the league phase.

But the former Feyenoord coach faced a difficult second season at the helm, with Liverpool eventually finishing fifth in the league. The Reds ended the campaign without a trophy despite a record summer transfer spend.

They splurged nearly £450 million (S$773.1 million), the most ever spent by a Premier League club in a single window.

In the process, Liverpool broke the British transfer record with the £125 million capture of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. They also bagged Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for £100 million, excluding add-ons.

The Isak fee alone was more than the amounts spent by 10 Premier League clubs during the window. But in the end, the striker was beset by fitness problems while Wirtz struggled with the transition to English football.

Fellow arrivals Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, both full-backs, also failed to impress, while another defensive reinforcement, Giovanni Leoni, tore his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut in September 2025 and missed the rest of the campaign.

Slot also had to deal with emotional turmoil caused by the death of forward Diogo Jota in a car accident in July 2025.

Liverpool fans turned on their manager after poor performances and there was also some disharmony in the dressing room, with Mohamed Salah the most outspoken.

The Egyptian recently called for a return to “heavy metal football” in an explosive social media post, referring to Klopp’s high-energy style of play. His comments were liked by multiple current Reds players.

Liverpool said the process to appoint a successor is under way, with media reports suggesting Andoni Iraola is the clear favourite to take the Anfield hot seat, after the Spaniard guided Bournemouth to sixth in the Premier League as they qualified for the Europa League for the first time.

The former Spain full-back was appointed by Bournemouth in 2023 when current Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes was technical director at the Cherries.

The Athletic reported that VfB Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeness and Lens boss Pierre Sage are also options.

Many fans were keen for the return of Xabi Alonso to Anfield, but the club’s former midfielder will instead take charge of Chelsea for the 2026-27 season.

The new manager is likely to have a rebuilding job on his hands with the recent departures of club stalwarts Salah and Andy Robertson, as well as the impending exit of first-choice centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

While Slot “does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it”, Liverpool’s club statement noted. “At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward.

“The conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction,” it added.

Slot started his coaching career at SC Cambuur in the Netherlands, before stints at fellow Dutch clubs AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord.

He led Feyenoord to the Conference League final in 2021-22, before guiding them to their first Eredivisie title since 2016-17 in the following season. He then won the Dutch Cup in his final season with the side in 2023-24, before leaving to join Liverpool. REUTERS, AFP