Slot sacking a brave and bold call by ‘Pool

Liverpool’s decision to sack Arne Slot last weekend, after just two years in charge, was a bold one.

He was never loved at Anfield – and that was nigh-on impossible having succeeded a totemic figure in Jurgen Klopp – but I felt the fact that he had won the league in his first season left him with credit in the bank, at least to fulfil the final year of his contract.

Slot has become a victim of his own, and Liverpool’s, success over the course of the last eight years, which has included two Premier League titles and a Champions League in 2019.

This season, albeit with some degree of difficulty, they secured a fifth placed finish to seal a place in Europe’s premier competition next season. It's not that long ago that such a finish would have been considered an achievement in itself, but things have moved on.

There are a couple of things at play here, some of which go deeper than trophies.

The view of supporters is often taken into consideration in these decisions but more to the point the atmosphere has to be something the owners were conscious of. And it was bad around Liverpool for virtually all of last season.

There was that horrible run before Christmas when a spell of nine defeats in 12 matches saw any hope of winning another league title go up in smoke and also saw the challenge of contending in a meaningful way for the Champions League all-but evaporate.

Beyond those results, though, there was a growing frustration with how Liverpool were playing.

Slot implemented a more controlled style than that of his predecessor, but even if it brought Liverpool to a league title, it failed to sparkle and energise the support in the way that Klopp’s all-action approach did.

To say that Slot won the league title on the basis of Klopp’s work in his later years in the job is somewhat unfair – consider the change in Ryan Gravenberch’s positioning, for example, and how significant that was in Liverpool’s triumph in 2024/25 – but there’s little doubt that he took over a side on an upward trajectory after some difficult seasons following their 2020 success.

That side, though, was coming towards the end and the squad required significant investment last summer, with the departures of Trent Alexander Arnold and Luis Diaz necessitating some significant surgery to the starting team. Of course, the horrific death of Diogo Jota is also a key factor in all of this; no one is able to comprehend just how big an impact that had on Liverpool’s players and staff.

On a recruitment level, Slot may not have had the absolute say in the players that came in in their £450-million splurge last summer, but the fact that they did not deliver anywhere near the sort of form expected left him on the back foot straight away.

The Alexander Isak saga was messy and his subsequent injury ruling him out for a good chunk of the season was unfortunate. Milos Kerkez only showed glimpse of what he was producing regularly for Bournemouth, and amid flurries of occasional brilliance, Florian Wirtz has struggled with the demands of the English game. Hugo Ekitike has been the major plus from last summer’s transfer activity, but he too is now a long-term injury the club has to deal with.

All of that mixed together led to two things. Slot failed to connect with the Liverpool fans on a footballing level and, perhaps more significantly at a club like Liverpool, he failed to connect on a human level too.

The latter is perhaps a harsh criticism, but it’s relevant when compared to a figure like Jurgen Klopp who resonated with supporters on a level not seen since the heyday of Kenny Dalglish in the 1980s.

Rather, Slot will fall into the category of a Rafa Benitez; a hard-nosed coach who delivered success and was liked but never loved by the Anfield faithful.

The next move will summarise the club’s motives in parting company with Slot at this juncture.

The decisive manner of the decision suggests that the club have a next move in mind and that appears to be Andoni Iraola. His utterances last week – days before Slot was handed his P45 – that he was awaiting developments at Liverpool suggests there had been contact prior to the end of the season.

Iraola’s body of work at Rayo Vallecano was impressive in cementing their place in Spain’s La Liga – and a key lieutenant of his in Madrid, Inigo Perez, was in the dugout for Rayo’s defeat to Crystal Palace in last week’s Conference League final.

His English suitors, though, have had their eyes turned by his stint at Bournemouth where they were consistently one of the most difficult away trips of the season. That was underlined even further in their defeat of Manchester City last month.

Iraola was an unqualified success at Bournemouth in developing players, too, with the likes of Kerkez, Antoine Semenyo, Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarynyi all departing before or during last season for a combined total of around £200-million.

His aggressive attacking style appears to chime with Liverpool’s historic approach, and his stock couldn’t be higher.

The timing is notable, however, given that Xabi Alonso was available until he took the Chelsea job in recent weeks. One has to assume that he would’ve held out had he been aware of a genuine interest from Liverpool. It would appear the club’s hierarchy are set on Iraola, who already has ties with Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s Sporting Director, who brought the Spaniard to the south coast of England during his time with Bournemouth.

If nothing else, Slot’s departure shows just how cut throat a business professional football has become.

Liverpool’s move is a ruthless one – only time will tell if it was the correct call.