Liverpool have confirmed head coach Arne Slot will leave the club with immediate effect.
The Dutchman led the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season at the club in 2024-25 but was unable to replicate that success this term, with the club finishing the campaign in fifth place.
Liverpool’s hierarchy continued to back Slot throughout a turbulent season — including during a period when his side lost nine out of 12 games in all competitions — but sources told ESPN the feeling inside Anfield was that change was inevitable this summer.
Slot’s brand of football has been widely criticized for being too pedestrian this term and sources told ESPN the club is targeting a more attack-minded, aggressive style of play. The decision to sack Slot was a reluctant one, with the Liverpool hierarchy appreciative of the scale of his achievement after replacing Jurgen Klopp in the dugout in the summer of 2024.
However, sources told ESPN the club believe a managerial change will give Liverpool the best chance of success moving forward, with the search for his successor underway.
Among the candidates linked with the role is Andoni Iraola, who will leave AFC Bournemouth following the expiration of his contract this summer, having guided the club to a sixth-place finish in the Champions League.
Last season saw Liverpool finish with just 60 points, their lowest total for a decade, with 19 losses in all competitions. Slot’s assignment was complicated by injuries to key players — such as the £125million Alexander Isak — and the aftermath of a difficult summer following the death of striker Diogo Jota last July. A joint statement from Liverpool owners Saturday said: “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.
“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward.
“As such, we can only wish Arne well in the next stage of his coaching career, with our expectation being that he will continue to be successful. We do so in the knowledge that his Liverpool legacy is intact and will become yet more meaningful in the years and decades to come.
“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.
Slot was appointed as Liverpool head coach in May 2024, signing a three-year contract after a successful stint with Dutch side Feyenoord.–ESPN
